My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 383 The perfect jade is returned to the throne
The advantages of naval weaponry and numbers are greater than those of land warfare, so Lu Su's recommendation was indeed very timely.

Xuezhou was a native of Guangling. In the original timeline, he was recruited by Chen Deng because Chen Deng went south to become the governor of Guangling, taking charge of both military and political affairs.

Chen Deng has been stationed in northern Xuzhou for a long time, only moving south to Shouchun at the end of last year, so he naturally has no influence over Guangling. However, Lu Su, a local native, has become the talent scout of Xuezhou.

This shows that great minds think alike.

Xuezhou is capable and valuable, and neither Chen Deng nor Lu Su would ignore him.

After Lu Su finished speaking, Liu Ye also stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Reporting to my lord and young master, Ye also has something to recommend."

Liu Ye said, “There was a powerful pirate in Jiujiang named Zheng Bao. He came from a local powerful family. He was forced to die between Chaohu Lake and the Yangtze River by Yuan Shu. He had several thousand able-bodied men and more than two hundred boats of various sizes. He was brave and decisive, and his talent and martial prowess were outstanding.”

"The Ye family has also lived in Jiujiang for a long time and has a good relationship with the Zheng family."

Liu Ye smiled and said, "After you took Jiujiang, I sent someone to contact Zheng Bao and persuade him to surrender as soon as possible. Now Zheng Bao is also interested. I am willing to go there in person and persuade him to come. His warships and sailors will surely be able to help you, young master."

If Xuezhou is relatively unknown, then Zheng Bao is much more famous than Xuezhou.

Firstly, in the original timeline, Zheng Bao occupied the entire Chaohu region and was a powerful figure in Yangzhou. At his peak, he commanded tens of thousands of households and tens of thousands of soldiers. Moreover, he was killed by Liu Ye through a scheme, and his head was used as a stepping stone to enter the Cao Wei group.

Xuezhou is far inferior to Zheng Bao in terms of reputation, strength, and historical anecdotes.

However, now Jiujiang and Guangling are both under Liu Bei's control, and his rule is far stronger than that of Yuan Shu in the original timeline.

Therefore, it is reasonable that Xue Zhou and Zheng Bao's power is much weaker than in the original timeline.

After all, Liu Bei's men were stationed in Shouchun, and Chaohu, as a crucial waterway, couldn't be occupied by Zheng Bao. He could only eke out a living on the edge of Chaohu and the Yangtze River, his life far less comfortable than in the original timeline. Therefore, there was a reason why Liu Ye was so confident in persuading Zheng Bao.

Liu Bei was quite tempted after hearing this.

Leaving aside the strategy towards Jingzhou, it would be ideal to recruit people like Xue Zhou and Zheng Bao; otherwise, it would be unwise to go to the trouble of suppressing and eliminating them.

Therefore, Liu Bei immediately decided: "In that case, this matter will be entrusted to Zijing and Ziyang. If Xuezhou and Zheng Bao are willing to submit, and if they are willing to enter politics, they can be appointed as magistrates of large counties. If they want to join the army, they can be appointed as colonels."

The magistrate of a large county was paid a salary of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain), while the military officer was paid 2,000 shi.

Although the rank of colonel had begun to depreciate at this time, and its value was far less than during the reign of Emperor Ling, it was still very attractive.

Liu Bei also intended to take this opportunity to spend a fortune on horse bones, further currying favor with the powerful clans and gentry of Huai and Si regions.

Although only half a year has passed, Liu Bei and his son foresaw a severe drought in the Huai and Si regions, raised funds and supplies, carried out large-scale water conservancy projects, and mobilized the people of the Huai and Si regions.

This not only greatly expanded Liu Bei's control over the Huai and Si regions through mobilization and large-scale projects, but also won over the hearts of the people. From the powerful clans and gentry to the common people and servants, everyone in the Huai and Si regions was very loyal to Liu Bei and Liu Feng.

The worst thing is comparison. How did Yuan Shu rule before? How is Liu Bei ruling now?

Under such a chemical reaction, it's no surprise that the people of Huaisi would be extremely grateful to Liu Bei and his son.

Today, the powerful clans and gentry of Huai and Si provinces praise Liu Bei and his sons highly, while the common people secretly build shrines for Liu Bei despite repeated prohibitions. This shows just how exaggerated the rule and influence of Liu Bei and his sons were in Huai and Si provinces.

The Huai and Si rivers, like Xuzhou, have become a solid base for Liu Bei and his sons, even surpassing Xuzhou in terms of support. This explains Liu Feng's optimistic forecast for next year's tax revenue.

Since that's the case, Liu Bei naturally wouldn't mind continuing to bestow favors to consolidate his already booming reputation.

Lu Su and Liu Ye immediately stood up, bowed, and thanked Liu Bei.

Liu Bei sighed inwardly. Regarding the Jingzhou issue, among the people in the hall, Chen Deng's words seemed to be questioning Liu Feng, but in reality, his underlying point was clearly one of agreement.

If Chen Deng's attitude was negative, then he should have rejected the plan from other angles, rather than jumping directly into the question of how to fight. Xun You's answer perfectly resolved Chen Deng's doubts, and Liu Bei even began to suspect that there might be some kind of tacit understanding between Chen Deng and Xun You.

As for Lu Su and Liu Ye, they were even more blatant, directly stepping forward to support Liu Feng, and all their suggestions were aimed at increasing Liu Feng's chances of winning.

Of all those in the hall, apart from the Second Master who had not yet spoken, most of the others actually supported, or at least did not oppose, the plot to seize Jingzhou.

It's not surprising, really. These days, Liu Bei's group only has three strategic directions, and anyone with average judgment can see that Jingzhou is the most profitable.

Jiaozhi was a remote place, vast in territory but sparsely populated.

The population of Jiaozhi today is only two million, which is only because it has taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Central Plains. Moreover, it is isolated and difficult to unite its forces.

The Central Plains region, however, is all show and no substance, but rotten inside.

Yanzhou, which once had a population of over four million, now has only a little over one million. Henan has been ravaged by Cao Cao and, although it hasn't reached the point of being completely devastated like Luozhong, Yingchuan, and Nanyang, it is certainly no longer the fertile land it was decades ago.

Moreover, this place is in a sensitive location, where any move could have far-reaching consequences. It is a place that both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao value highly. Once we take action, it will almost certainly provoke a reaction from Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, which would do more harm than good.

Only Jingzhou is rich in resources and has a large population.

Chen Deng, Xun You, Lu Su, Liu Ye, and others would naturally not overlook this point, which shows that they originally had this in mind.

As for the Second Master, he was relatively simple. He was not very good at making strategic decisions, but as a traditional general, he naturally supported expansionist wars when he was confident of success in most cases.

As a result, Liu Bei had no choice but to back down.

"In that case, Zisheng, you should make the preparations first. As for whether to proceed, I will give you some time to think it over."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Liu Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

We will refrain from discussing further information regarding Huan Jie, Sun Ce, the Pang family, and others for now, as Liu Feng may not be able to keep his word on these matters, and it would be unfortunate if he made any mistakes.

If Liu Bei is stubborn and insists on his own opinion, then we will not care about anything else in order to persuade him.

But now that Liu Bei has made concessions, it's better to avoid trouble.

"Yes, Father, I understand."

Liu Feng immediately agreed, but then changed the subject, saying, "Father, the Huai and Si rivers are now stable, and all the major projects have been completed. On the contrary, Yangzhou is newly pacified and is in dire need of manpower. I have no choice but to employ famous scholars and powerful families from Wu, and even surrendered generals from the Sun family to help in this emergency."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's expression changed drastically, clearly thinking of the many talented individuals who had gathered in the Huai and Si regions to repair the Shaopi and construct water conservancy projects.

These outstanding individuals are all exceptionally capable and talented, skilled in both literature and martial arts, making them incredibly useful.

So much so that Liu Bei doesn't want to let any of them go now, and is planning to make good use of them.

"This..." Liu Bei struggled to turn his head, thinking of a way to refuse: "I am short of manpower right now. If I rashly transfer so many county officials, I'm afraid it will cause trouble."

Liu Feng glanced at Liu Bei with disdain. What he said was ridiculous. Now Liu Bei was the General of the Cavalry, and countless famous scholars and powerful figures had come to serve him. However, their quality was far inferior to this group, but their numbers were several times or even ten times that of this group.

Liu Feng had great use for these people, so he had to bring up the precedent set by the Eastern Han Dynasty: "Father, Yangzhou is a newly established place, and everything is in need of rebuilding. According to the precedent set by our great Han Dynasty, there should be three exchanges between the major and minor officials. It is appropriate to fill the official vacancies in Yangzhou with scholars from Yu and Xu provinces."

Despite his obvious resistance, Liu Bei went to see Chen Deng, Xun You, and others, clearly hoping that his strategists could come up with some ideas for him.

Liu Feng could no longer tolerate this and directly thwarted Liu Bei's attempt.

“Father, I discussed it with you before lending them out.”

Liu Feng gritted his teeth and pretended to be angry: "As the saying goes, if you borrow and return, it's not difficult to borrow again. Besides, the situation in Yangzhou needs these people to stabilize it. If Yangzhou is governed by Yangzhou people, it's hard to say who will ultimately rule Yangzhou in the future."

Chen Deng, Xun You, Lu Su, Liu Ye, and others all lowered their heads, as if they had temporarily lost their hearing.

Why should I, an outsider, meddle in the affairs of other people's father and son?

Guan Yu sat to the side, his phoenix eyes narrowed, making it impossible to tell whether he was awake or asleep. However, judging from his unwavering gaze and motionless posture, it was clear that he did not want to get involved in the topic.

Liu Bei sighed. The saying "Yang people govern Yang land" had indeed hit a nerve with Liu Bei.

Thinking back to when he first arrived in Xuzhou, apart from Chen Deng and Mi Zhu who gave him some face, the other Xuzhou people, even outsiders like Cao Bao, didn't really take him seriously.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei felt sorry for his eldest son and finally relented.

"Alright, then give me a month to send someone to replace them, and then have them go to Yangzhou to join you."

In the past year or so, Liu Bei has also gathered many scholars from the Central Plains, such as the Huan brothers, Huan Bin and Huan Ye, from the Longkang Huan clan of Pei State.

The Huan clan of Longkang was a renowned family in the Central Plains, not even in the same league as Huan Jie of Changsha.

This family had been high-ranking officials for generations, and their officials had repeatedly produced officials with salaries of two thousand bushels of grain.

Huan Bin and Huan Ye had a distant cousin named Huan Dian, who was a direct descendant of the Huan family. Their grandfather, Huan Yan, served as Grand Tutor during the reign of Emperor Shun of Han, and together with Grand Commandant Zhu Chong, he governed the country and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yangping.

Huan Dian was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official in his youth, and served as a court official in Luoyang. Later, he served as a clerk in the household of Yuan Kui, the head of the Yuan family. He can be described as an elite member of the Central Plains gentry with impeccable lineage.

Huan Dian is currently in Luoyang, serving as the Minister of the Imperial Household, one of the Nine Ministers. Although he no longer holds real power, he is still considered a person of high status and prestige.

Huan Dian also had a particularly famous son, Huan Fan, who later became the strategist for Cao Shuang, the Grand General of Cao Wei, and was later denounced as a fool by Cao Shuang. Huan Fan and Cao Shuang were both exterminated along with their families by Sima Yi.

Although Huan Bin and Huan Ye are only from a branch of the family, the Huan family enjoys a very high reputation in Pei State. With their allegiance, it is possible to effectively win over the hearts of the people in Pei State.

Besides the Huan family, many other families, such as the Xie family of Chenjun, the Yin family, the Huan family of Xiapi, and the Xu family of Dongguan, came to join them.

Liu Bei was not without capable men; it's just that in terms of talent, character, and ability, they were not as good as Liu Feng and others.

However, Liu Feng's combination of pleading and threats made Liu Bei reluctant, since the other party was his own son and, in truth, he was in the wrong. So he could only nod and give in.

Liu Bei relented, but Liu Feng looked at his father with some suspicion.

"If you want it, wait! If you don't want to wait, then don't want it!"

Liu Bei was furious. "I've already let you go, and you still suspect that your father is using delaying tactics?"
He's truly not a son!

Liu Feng realized his father was truly angry, so he quickly tried to appease him, saying, "If that's the case, then I am naturally willing to wait."

With that, the important business is now complete.

Liu Feng remembered a few other small matters, so he asked, "Father, could you please reserve one for me in this year's selection of candidates for the civil service examination in Xuzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng and the others, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped out of it and all looked at Liu Feng.

Liu Bei was also curious: "Whom do you want to recommend?"

Liu Feng did not hide anything and said frankly, "A Liang is now eighteen years old. I intend to confer a coming-of-age ceremony on him and recommend him as a filial and incorruptible official."

On his way back to Shouchun, he immediately sent someone to fetch Zhuge Xuan.

Zhuge Xuan had been ill for more than half a year and had recovered, but his status was delicate and he had not yet been given a suitable official position.

Liu Feng is currently focused on waging war against Jingzhou, so he naturally cannot allow Zhuge Xuan to continue serving as the local governor.

If Zhuge Xuan were to betray his country, the damage might not be significant, but the humiliation would be immense, and it would likely hurt the feelings of the brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang.

With this in mind, Liu Feng decided to take Zhuge Xuan with him to Luoyang to find him a temporary official position in the court, so that he could stay away from Jingzhou.

At the same time, Zhuge Xuan, as Zhuge Liang's elder, was also the only surviving uncle.

When Zhuge Liang was to be crowned, Zhuge Xuan naturally had to be present.

"So it was Ah Liang."

Liu Bei suddenly realized, and a look of jealousy appeared on his face. Everyone thought he was a man who treated scholars with respect, but they didn't know that his eldest son had a sharp eye for talent.

All those mentioned so far are outstanding individuals, exceptional talents, and outstanding figures among their peers.

Liu Feng was unaware that Liu Bei actually valued Zhuge Liang highly.

This time, Zhuge Liang stayed in Shouchun and served as Liu Bei's secretary, which pleased Liu Bei greatly.

Liu Bei even considered asking Liu Feng for more people, but now that he saw Liu Feng openly asking for a quota for Zhuge Liang to be recommended for the civil service examination, he knew that his plan had failed.

"I know."

Liu Bei agreed, then looked at Liu Feng with an unfriendly expression: "Is there anything else?"

Seeing Liu Bei's wary look, Liu Feng felt a chill in his heart. He had done so much for his father, and this was the only request he had made, yet he was being looked down upon.

When did my dad become so cold-hearted?!

However, Liu Feng only dared to grumble in his heart, but swallowed back the other minor matters and shook his head: "Father, I am gone."

(End of this chapter)