My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 313 The Undercurrents of Wu County
Liu Feng looked at Jia Kui, his eyes asking a question.

Jia Kui's spirits lifted, and he immediately explained, "In my humble opinion, the Sun family seems to have a weak will to defend. When I was ordered by the general to raid Qu'a, the garrison commander in Qu'a did not seem to have any intention of holding out to the death. It was only because my troops arrived in time that we trapped them in the city."

"If it weren't for the general's plan, and if we had followed the established procedures, we would probably have only gained an empty city."

Jia Kui spoke more and more fluently: "At this time, news came that Sun Jun had even abandoned Piling, which made people suspect that there was a trick involved."

Jia Kui's intelligence and ability are definitely above average. Although he is still young and lacks experience, he can already speak with substance and reason.

Unfortunately, Jia Kui's inference was completely wrong.

Sun Jun's strange reaction was entirely due to being frightened by the Southern Expeditionary Army's capture of the city in half a day.

This is the situation and error that can easily occur when information is asymmetrical.

Even though Jia Kui's reasoning was clearly wrong, everyone in the hall nodded in agreement, believing that what Jia Kui said was true.

Liu Feng felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, and besides, Jia Kui's words made a lot of sense.

So Liu Fengxian put aside his doubts and asked, "In Liang Dao's opinion, how should our army respond?"

After considering carefully for a moment, Jia Kui looked up at Liu Feng, cupped his hands and said, “General, I have heard that a good soldier can subdue the enemy without being subdued by him. Now our army has crossed the river with unstoppable momentum. We captured two bandits in one day and took Qu’a in half a day. Our military might is so great that we are invincible.”

"At this point, Sun Jun has ceded Piling. Regardless of his any conspiracy, our army only needs to proceed step by step and be more cautious."

Jia Kui's face revealed strong confidence: "This humble servant believes that we should send an army to enter Piling first, as the new grain in Piling is sufficient to supply the troops."

Although Sun Jun withdrew, he set fire to the city's supplies, which can be described as heinous.

The people of Jiangdong were both shocked and furious. These supplies were stored in the city, and if they were set on fire, a single mistake could cause the fire to spread throughout the entire city.

Wu Jing was, after all, from a noble family, and his family was a prominent clan in Wu Commandery. Yet, after following Sun Jian for more than ten years, he had become so cruel.

The problem is that supplies are concentrated in the city and easy to burn, but you can't use a scorched earth policy to clear out the ripe grain outside the city because there isn't enough time.

As long as the Southern Expeditionary Army moves fast enough, judging from the situation in Qu'a and Dantu, the new grain outside Piling will be enough to feed tens of thousands of troops for half a month.

After pondering for a while, Liu Feng felt that Jia Kui's words made a lot of sense.

In any case, the income from the autumn harvest alone, with three or four thousand people stationed in Piling, was already quite worthwhile, not to mention many other benefits.

Liu Feng was already inclined to agree with Jia Kui's statement, but he still had doubts: "Mr. Changxu, how long will it take to gather the army?"

It turned out that in order to rush the harvest, Liu Feng had sent out all of Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and Jia Kui's troops to help the people harvest the grain.

This was a plan devised by Sun Shao, which could be described as killing two birds with one stone. First, it would help the people and win the hearts of the people of Jiangdong. Second, it would speed up the autumn harvest and increase the treasury. It was just as the military strategy said: "Eating one ounce of enemy food is better than eating ten ounces of our own."

Of course, Liu Feng believed there was a third benefit: training the army and gradually getting them used to military-civilian interaction.

In order to win the hearts of the people and make things look perfect, Liu Feng sent out his own loyal old troops this time. He himself led a thousand armored soldiers under Pan Zhang, along with Fan Neng, Zhao Fan, Jia Bin, and Yu Zi and other former subordinates of Zuo Rong and Xue Li, to be stationed in Qu'a.

The battlefield in northern Wu had been calm for more than ten days until today when Liu Feng received news that Sun's army had suddenly abandoned the city of Piling and retreated.

Sun Shao thought carefully for a moment before replying, "Each unit is located near or far, but General Xu's unit is the most suitable. It will only take three days to gather them together."

Upon hearing Sun Shao's words, Xu Sheng perked up, looking at Liu Feng with eager eyes, almost ready to volunteer.

Liu Feng, of course, wouldn't disappoint his old subordinate: "Where is Wen Xiang?"

Xu Sheng, who had long been unable to contain himself, immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and shouted loudly, "This humble general is here!"

"Alright, I order you to gather two groups of four thousand men, bring fifteen days' worth of provisions, and advance to Piling first."

Liu Feng immediately ordered: "After taking Piling, find out the situation in Wuxi for me."

"Yes! Sheng will surely bring Piling to the general!"

Xu Sheng immediately accepted the order, turned around and left the hall to send out orders to gather troops.

Qu'a's grain reserves are still very low, although Guangling has begun transporting grain to Qu'a via the Hangou Canal. There is also a land supply line from neighboring Jurong, which is continuously supplying grain.

However, the garrison in Qu'a was too large, with nearly 40,000 troops including prisoners of the Sun family, consuming 80,000 shi of grain per month. Only by supplying 80,000 shi of grain to Qu'a each month could the troops be fed and watered, leaving little grain reserves.

Once Liu Feng's army has established a foothold in Piling, then a continuous stream of grain will need to be sent forward.

Liu Feng was shocked to learn that Piling had been abandoned by Sun Ce's army, and the news spread like wildfire throughout central Wu. The most serious consequence was that Sun Ce's army, disregarding the safety of the people of Piling, directly set fire to supplies and provisions within the city.

Not only did the people of Piling hate Sun Jun to the bone, but other counties in Wu were also terrified of him, and public sentiment was unsettled.

At this time, in Wu County, the seat of Wu Prefecture, the gentry and powerful families were also in a state of panic. On this day, several carriages stopped outside the Lu family's gate.

The visitor was a relative by marriage, surnamed Gu.

The Lu and Gu families were both prominent clans in Jiangdong, and together with the Zhu and Zhang families, they were known as the four major surnames of Jiangdong.

There's also a little-known fact: these four people are not only from Jiangdong, but also from Wujun, and even more specifically, from Wuxian.

This demonstrates the high status and great influence of Wu County in Jiangdong.

The Lu family held a very high position in Jiangdong. Lu Kang, the previous head of the Lu family, was a big shot who could speak with people in the Central Plains and could be considered the leader of the Jiangdong scholars.

Unfortunately, he was forced to his death by Sun Ce.

The situation in Wu County is now quite awkward.

Lu Kang died of illness while Sun Ce was conquering the city. Lu Ji of the Lu family was still young, and the family had to rely on the fifteen-year-old Lu Yi (Xun) to support the family.

Among them, the Gu family, as relatives by marriage, also provided a lot of assistance.

After being informed by the servant, Lu Yi and Lu Ji rushed to the gate to greet them.

The person who got out of the car was Gu Yong, who was Lu Kang's son-in-law and the brother-in-law of Lu Yi and Lu Ji.

Lu Yi lost his father at a young age and was then raised by Lu Kang.

You know what, Lu Yi's experience is quite similar to Zhuge Liang's. Their fathers held the same official positions before their deaths: one was the Commandant of Mount Tai, and the other was the Commandant of Jiujiang. Both died young, otherwise they would have had a great chance to continue their careers.

After welcoming Gu Yong into the mansion, the two did not speak in the hall, but went straight into a private room.

After entering the secret room, both sides took their seats, and Lu Yi and Lu Ji then bowed and greeted Gu Yong.

Gu Yong smiled kindly and helped the two up.

"Brother-in-law, what brings you here?"

The person who asked the question was Lu Ji.

Although Lu Ji is only nine years old now, and although people in the Eastern Han Dynasty come of age early and there are many child prodigies, and Lu Ji himself is a child genius, the person in charge of the Lu family at this moment is still Lu Ji's nephew, Lu Yi.

However, one point must be clarified: Lu Yi is still only the person in charge at this time, not the head of the family; the head of the family is still Lu Ji.

Later, Sun Quan forced Lu Yi to establish his own household, then forced Lu Ji to commit suicide, and subsequently transferred the direct line of the Lu family from Lu Ji to Lu Xun, which made Lu Xun the direct line.

Therefore, many people have plotted against Lu Xun's character, believing that he was outwardly kind but inwardly suspicious, outwardly benevolent but inwardly treacherous, and ungrateful.

In reality, if Lu Xun were truly that kind of person, the emperor would not have believed that he could be killed simply by cursing.

Lu Xun was actually quite protective of his reputation and had a strong sense of shame. Moreover, at the time, even the Gu family did not criticize him, which shows that the claim that Lu Xun was a despicable person is untenable.

Gu Yong married Lu Kang's daughter, who was Lu Ji's older sister. It was perfectly natural for Lu Ji to call him brother-in-law.

Lu Yi remained silent, sitting quietly to the side.

Gu Yong glanced at Lu Ji, his heart filled with admiration.

My brother-in-law has completely inherited his father-in-law's excellence. He is not only well-versed in classical studies, but also very filial. He will surely achieve great things in the future.

Although Lu Yi was simple and honest and not good with words, he was kind and quick-witted, making him the best helper for Lu Ji to revitalize his family business.

History is so interesting. In the eyes of everyone, Lu Yi in his youth was a simple and unpretentious person.

Even after Lu Ji was deliberately killed by Sun Quan, Sun Quan went to great lengths to transfer the direct line of the family to Lu Xun and married Sun Ce's daughter to Lu Xun. Despite all these busy affairs, Sun Quan actually looked down on Lu Xun at heart.

They merely used this somewhat dull young man as a tool to demonstrate the reconciliation between the Lu and Sun families and their willingness to serve the Sun family. We, the later generations, believe Lu Xun's abilities far surpass Lu Ji's because we know Lu Xun's military prowess was exceptional, and because we are from a later era.

At present, Lu Xun is still just a somewhat dull-witted young man who protects his uncle.

"I have come here for you."

Gu Yong raised his head and looked at his brother-in-law.

Lu Ji was startled and bit his lip, remaining silent.

Gu Yong remained silent, simply staring intently at him.

The two remained silent, and Lu Yi, who was already sullen, made the secret room so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Gu Yong was quite patient, so Lu Ji had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "I wonder what brings you here, brother-in-law?"

Seeing that Lu Ji was still pretending to be stupid, Gu Yong sighed and did not answer Lu Ji's question. Instead, he said to himself, "Now, Wu County is full of Sun family soldiers. Wu Jing even dared to set fire to Piling City, which is extremely crazy."

None of the three people present were stupid. Lu Ji and Lu Yi immediately realized what Gu Yong was implying. The other party was obviously worried about Lu Ji's personal safety. And at this critical moment, what could be the easiest thing to provoke Sun Jun was to secretly betray him.

Lu Yi couldn't help but look at Lu Ji, not expecting that Lu Ji had secretly contacted the Southern Expeditionary Army without his knowledge.

Feeling Lu Yi's gaze, Lu Ji clenched his fists and gripped the robe on his thighs tightly.

If there is no opportunity, Lu Ji will naturally be content to keep a low profile and harbor his grudge.

But now that the Southern Expeditionary Army has crossed the Yangtze River, Lu Ji wishes they could fly to Wu County immediately and bring Sun Ce to justice. How could he possibly tolerate this?

“I dare not hide it from my brother-in-law. Ji did indeed send someone to Qu’a to request an audience with General Zheng Nan.”

Seeing that Gu Yong and Lu Yi had both guessed it, Lu Ji stopped hiding it.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yong sighed.

Lu Yi opened his mouth, but after opening it twice, he still couldn't say anything, and finally he could only close it again.

The two reacted in this way for the same reason.

Because avenging one's father is an act of filial piety!
Filial piety is the greatest political correctness in this era.

Not to mention that Lu Kang had the kindness of marrying off his daughter to Gu Yong, and also had the affection of raising a child for Lu Yi.

After a moment, Gu Yong asked, "What is your intention?"

Lu Ji was completely dumbfounded.

Gu Yong couldn't help but sigh again, and even Lu Yi, who was standing next to him, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

My good uncle didn't have any plans, so he sent someone to find Liu Zhengnan. And what happened after that?
We can't just ask them to send troops to Wu County immediately, can we?

Lu Ji finally realized what was happening. His face flushed, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "I've visited relatives and friends these past few days, subtly inquiring about the situation. Perhaps I can find out more..."

Gu Yong and Lu Yi's expressions both darkened. Gu Yong had come specifically to find Lu Ji after hearing about his performance.

Lu Yi, on the other hand, was worried about Lu Ji's safety. If this matter were exposed, at best Lu Ji would die, and at worst the entire Lu family would suffer.

Given Wu Jing's daring nature in setting fires in the city, Lu Yi might very well lose his head.

Seeing the grim expressions on Gu Yong and Lu Yi's faces, Lu Ji inwardly cursed, but he immediately and honestly revealed their names.

After hearing this, Gu Yong and Lu Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It turns out that most of the people Lu Ji sought out were scholars from Wu County, and most of them were neutral.

Wu County was the leading county in Jiangdong, and the gentry of Wu County were the first-class gentry in the entire Jiangdong region, and even had a place in the Central Plains.

To give a few simple examples, Lu Kang was well-known in the Central Plains and was a recognized Confucian master, while Gu Yong's teacher was Cai Yong. Although he did not formally enter Cai Yong's inner circle, the fact that he was taught by Cai Yong already speaks volumes.

As for the Zhou family of Jiangbei, they were even more extraordinary, with two generations of high-ranking officials. They were practically a scaled-down version of the Yuan family.

Strictly speaking, the Zhou family were also scholars from Yangzhou.

"The situation is complicated now. Although the expedition to the south has crossed the river, it has temporarily stopped at Qu'a and has not yet made any move."

Gu Yong explained the situation to his brother-in-law to prevent him from acting rashly again.

"It must be because of insufficient supplies and food, and they are waiting for supplies to be transferred from the rear."

Gu Yong once served as the magistrate of Qu'a County and had considerable connections there. Even today, he still has many channels through which he can learn about the situation in Qu'a.

However, after receiving the news, Gu Yong kept it to himself and never went to the Sun family to discuss it.

Historically, the Gu family fully aligned itself with the Sun family very early on. This was not because the Gu family was heartless, but rather because they had considered the Lu family's situation.

If the Gu family also does not side with the Sun family, then the Lu family will undoubtedly continue to be attacked and suppressed by the Sun family, which is quite dangerous for the Lu family.

The Gu family and the Sun family have no blood feud, which removes the obstacle to their allegiance. In this way, the Lu family can be better taken care of.

Gu Yong himself actually began serving the Sun family during Sun Ce's time, with the most definitive date being this year.

After Sun Ce dealt a heavy blow to Wang Lang and swept through Kuaiji, Gu Yong was appointed as the Prefect of Kuaiji and acted as the Governor.

In the years that followed, Gu Yong was stationed in Kuaiji, where he helped the Sun family quell bandits, stabilize the counties, and pay a large amount of taxes to the Sun family.

But now the situation is completely different. With the appearance of Liu Feng and the change of the situation, a politician like Gu Yong would not be foolish enough to stick to the old ways.

After keenly recognizing the immense influence of Liu Bei's forces on Yangzhou, Gu Yong changed his mind and adopted a submissive and neutral attitude.

The Gu family did their best to meet the Sun family's demands for money and provisions in exchange for their own safety and that of their in-laws, the Lu family. However, they politely declined the Sun family's request for them to take up an official position as a sign of political support.

Sure enough, after autumn arrived this year, Liu Bei launched a major war against Yuan Shu in the Jianghuai region with overwhelming force. Four armies marched out simultaneously, and in less than a month, they actually captured Shouchun and took Yuan Shu prisoner.

Not only was the area north of the Yangtze River shaken, but the entire area east of the Yangtze River was also quite affected.

In those days, news traveled so slowly that even Sun Ce in the south might not have known about it for very long.

“Ah Ji, you must obey me and not act rashly again.”

Finally, Gu Yong looked at Lu Ji solemnly and asked him to promise not to act rashly again.

Lu Ji was not a willful or reckless person to begin with. Even though he was blinded by hatred, he did not act recklessly and was still quite cautious.

"Brother-in-law, Ji knows he was wrong."

Therefore, Lu Ji immediately admitted his mistake and expressed his willingness to follow Gu Yong's teachings.

Lu Yi, standing to the side, also bowed his head, indicating his stance.

Gu Yong was satisfied, and at the same time reassured him, "Although Zheng Nan is not old, he has a reputation for being invincible in every battle. We just need to wait for Zheng Nan to arrive, and we must not cause any trouble, lest we ruin Zheng Nan's grand plan."

At this point, Gu Yong paused, then, seeing the expectant looks on his uncle and nephew's faces, he couldn't help but add, "Even if we were to do something, it's too early now. Only by preserving our health can we have the opportunity to serve the Southern Expedition in the future."

Lu Ji and Lu Yi both nodded repeatedly, but one had a lively look in his eyes, while the other seemed a bit dull.

"By the way, Sister Ru is very concerned about you. She was worried that you and Yilang wouldn't eat well, so she specially asked me to bring some things over."

Just before leaving, Gu Yong remembered his wife's instructions and hurriedly instructed her, "After I leave, have the servants unload the food and utensils from the carriage and put them in the warehouse. Don't forget to do this every day."

Lu Ji and Lu Yi quickly agreed.

After thinking it over carefully and confirming that there was nothing else, Gu Yong took his leave.

The Lu family uncle and nephew naturally hoped that Gu Yong would stay for dinner, but Gu Yong was anxious about cleaning up his brother-in-law's mess and had no interest in staying for a meal. He simply insisted on not staying.

After boarding the carriage, and with the respectful farewell of the Lu family uncles and nephews, the carriage slowly set off and left the Lu family.

Gu Yong sat in the car, lost in thought, and before he knew it, he had arrived at his doorstep.

As soon as he got out of the car, he saw several large vehicles parked in front of his house, indicating that important guests had arrived.

(End of this chapter)