My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 477 Reaching Consensus
What Xi Lu said was indeed true. The precious grain that Zhang Ji presented when he entered Hongnong to serve the emperor truly helped the emperor's carriage through the most difficult time.

Without his act of kindness, it would be uncertain whether the emperor's entourage could have held out until Duan Wei arrived to provide assistance.

Overall, the emperor's attitude towards Zhang Ji was relatively lenient compared to that towards Li Jue and Guo Si; he was a Liangzhou warrior who could be tolerated. This is why, after Cao Cao entered Guanzhong, he ruthlessly exterminated Li Jue and Guo Si, but allowed Zhang Ji to remain in Shangcheng without taking any action against him.

Cao Cao has gradually realized the disadvantage of his forces lacking manpower, while Zhang Ji's troops number nearly 20,000, most of whom are young and able-bodied men. If he could bring this force under his command, it would be equivalent to gaining an additional 200,000 men available for military service, which would undoubtedly be a powerful boost to Cao Cao's power.

Then, seeing the hesitation on Cai Mao's face, Xi Lu knew that the time to persuade him had come, so he continued to advise him: "Lord Cai, you now have the overall situation in Xiangyang under your command, and the Yangzhou army is already at the city gates. The situation is critical. At this critical juncture of life and death, do you still want to be bound by past grievances and ignore the overall situation at hand?"

"This..." Cai Mao hesitated upon hearing this. Being reprimanded to his face with grand principles was naturally an unpleasant experience.

Finally, Cai Mao sighed and revealed his true thoughts: "Your Majesty is unaware that Zhang Ji's Xiliang warriors are utterly devoid of integrity, and are cruel and bloodthirsty by nature. Every county and town in northwestern Nanyang bears the bloodstains of their deeds. Now that the General has sent them to aid Jingzhou, what if they seize the opportunity to cause trouble after entering the city and commit some unsavory acts?"

Xi Lu stood in the hall, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression grave. He knew all too well that this military expedition was of great significance, a move that would have far-reaching consequences.

General Cao Cao's gaze was fixed on Xiangyang, constantly monitoring the situation. Behind Zhang Ji, however, lay a force of Cao Cao's elite troops, like a sharp dagger pressed against his lower back, ready to deliver a fatal blow at the slightest sign of trouble.

If Zhang Ji dares to play any tricks, Cao Cao's army and Liu Biao's army will instantly converge, trapping him in the middle, and his destruction will be just a matter of a snap of the fingers.

Don't underestimate Liu Biao's army.

Although on the surface the Yangzhou army appeared overwhelming, it didn't mean Liu Biao's army was powerless against Zhang Ji. The fact that the counties of Nanyang simply closed their city gates, defended their borders, and cut off Zhang Ji's food supplies was enough to drive him into a corner.

After all, while the Xiliang army performed admirably in open field battles, siege warfare was their weakness, a fact well-known throughout the land. Otherwise, how could Zhang Ji, leading over ten thousand battle-hardened veterans, have repeatedly stormed Nanyang County, yet failed to conquer even a small county?
In the past few years, Zhang Ji has invaded Nanyang several times, but most of the time he could only take advantage of the autumn harvest season to plunder some grain outside the city or attack some small fortified villages to barely make a living.

Based on this, Cao Cao was naturally confident and not worried at all that Zhang Ji would betray him. However, Cai Mao and the other high-ranking officials in Xiangyang had a completely different idea. After all, if Zhang Ji really turned against them, they would be the first to suffer losses.

Xi Lu was willing to vouch for Zhang Ji, but Cai Mao and the people of Xiangyang might not believe him.

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Han Song stepped forward and broke the stalemate: "General, now is a time when we need capable people, and with the Grand General vouching for us, why not trust Zhang Ji this time for the time being? What do you think?"

After saying that, he turned to face Xi Lu and continued, "Does the angel know that the Liangzhou warriors are like barbarians, cunning and treacherous? Since Zhang Zhendong has come to aid our Jingzhou, why not limit him to Zhuyang? In this way, we can utilize his troops while also taking precautions."

Upon hearing this, Xi Lu secretly cheered and immediately echoed, "What the Prefect says is very true. I also think this plan is feasible."

Cai Mao's gaze swept back and forth between Han Song and Xi Lu, as he pondered to himself.

With Zhang Ji's 20,000 troops stationed in Zhuyang, and Cao Cao's army as reinforcements, if I were in Liu Feng's shoes, I probably wouldn't dare to besiege Xiangyang so easily.

Having thought this through, Cai Mao finally made up his mind and nodded in agreement, saying, "Since De Gao has also vouched for Zhang Ji, what else can I say? However, let me make this clear from the start: if Zhang Ji and his men dare to commit any evil deeds within my Jingzhou territory, I will make them pay for their crimes in blood!"

Upon hearing this, Han Song's face instantly darkened.

He only wanted to help Xi Lu and Cao Cao out of their predicament and do them a favor, but he never expected Cai Mao to be so treacherous, turning around and binding himself and Zhang Ji together.

According to Cai Mao, since he had vouched for Zhang Ji, he would be the first to be implicated should Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu's army do anything reckless. On the contrary, Cai Mao appeared to be a magnanimous and tolerant good person. What's worse, Nanyang was his hometown. If things really came to that, he would be in an awkward position where he was disliked by both sides.

Han Song was secretly annoyed, but did not retaliate immediately. He took a deep breath, suppressed his dissatisfaction, nodded, and reminded Xi Lu in accordance with Cai Mao's words: "General Cai is right. Please ask the envoy to make sure to instruct Zhen Dong to keep his troops in check, enforce military discipline, and not cause any trouble in Jingzhou."

Seeing that things had taken a turn for the better, Xi Lu finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He was overjoyed, having completed this extremely important task, and his mood was naturally excellent. Upon hearing Han Song's words, he immediately and readily replied, "Don't worry, De Gao, I will definitely write a letter to the General, requesting him to strictly discipline Zhang Ji's troops to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

With the consensus reached, subsequent matters progressed extremely quickly.

That afternoon, Cai Mao replaced Liu Biao, took out the official seal, and ordered the opening of Zhuyang City, allowing Zhang Ji to lead his troops to garrison it.

Zhuyang City was not large enough to accommodate 20,000 troops.

Therefore, Zhang Ji led his personal guards and personal guard battalion into the city to garrison, while Zhang Xiu led the main force to camp outside the city, forming a horn-like formation with the city, echoing each other from afar, and combining offense and defense.

At the same time, Xiangyang also acted swiftly.

A fleet of ships, fully loaded with military equipment, provisions, and other supplies, was dispatched from Xiangyang and sailed in a grand procession towards Zhuyang.

Currently, Xiangyang City has abundant supplies, with the only shortage being manpower. Therefore, the people of Xiangyang are quite generous in supplying weapons, partly to appease and please Zhang Ji, hoping that he can effectively control his troops and prevent them from harming Zhuyang. They also hope that he will devote himself fully to the upcoming battles and contribute more to Jingzhou.

In addition, Cai Mao signed another official document, allowing Cao Cao's army to take control of Wan County and Rang City.

Both cities were located in Nanyang Commandery, which was an extremely important transportation hub. Wan County, needless to say, served as the seat of Nanyang Commandery for most of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its prosperity was comparable to that of Luoyang, making it arguably the most prosperous county in the land.

Rangcheng is equally formidable. Nestled on the Tuan River, it is surrounded by vast, fertile plains, its land overflowing with riches. Four rivers encircle and embrace it, making it a truly fertile land. Unfortunately, this is also where Zhang Ji was struck by a stray arrow in the original timeline, ultimately succumbing to his wounds. Now, with Zhang Ji's 20,000 troops already stationed along the Zhuyang route, it would be unwise for Cao Cao's army to proceed via Wuguan Pass.

At that time, choosing the Rangcheng-Wancheng line would undoubtedly be the best marching route.

Following the river south from here, one can reach Xinye, which is only a little over a hundred li away by waterway from Xiangyang. Moreover, this route is located to the right of Xiangyang, echoing Zhang Ji's forces. In the event of war, they can support each other and form a powerful military force.

**
The various events unfolding within Xiangyang City remained shrouded in mystery, unknown to Liu Feng. However, this did not diminish the burning rage within him.

The reason was simple: Xi Lu had already left Xiangyang and was rushing towards Ruoguo City.

While in Xiangyang, Xi Lu had already successfully completed his most important mission. His next destination was Ruoguo City, where Liu Feng was located. He was on a mission entrusted to him by Cao Cao: to persuade Liu Feng to accept the demand for a ceasefire across the entire front.

Before setting off, Cao Cao had an in-depth conversation with Xi Lu through letters. In the letters, Cao Cao revealed many secrets that Xi Lu had never known before.

Initially, Xi Lu thought Cao Cao's request to persuade Liu Feng to cease hostilities was nothing short of a pipe dream. After all, under such circumstances, who would be willing to easily give up their troops?

However, after learning those secrets from Cao Cao, Xi Lu instantly understood why Cao Cao was so certain and why he had the confidence to make such a request.

Xiangyang was only a little over a hundred miles from Ruoguo, and the waterways were unobstructed, making navigation extremely convenient. In just five days, Xi Lu successfully arrived at the port of Ruoguo.

Liu Feng learned of Xi Lu's visit because Xi Lu unexpectedly encountered Gan Ning's troops on the waterway.

After Xi Lu revealed his identity and purpose, Gan Ning, knowing the gravity of the matter, dared not be negligent in the slightest. He immediately dispatched two hundred guards to closely follow Xi Lu, escorting him slowly to Ruo State. At the same time, Gan Ning also specially sent a fast ship south ahead of Xi Lu to reach Ruo State's port before Xi Lu, informing Liu Feng of the situation.

Only then did Liu Feng finally learn of Xi Lu's visit.

Although Liu Feng was furious, he did not blame the department responsible for intelligence operations.

After all, the situation in Xiangyang is now extremely tense. The city gates of Xiangyang are tightly closed, with only one gate opened each day, and even then, only to allow people to go out to gather firewood and firewood to maintain their basic living needs.

Under such circumstances, it would be virtually impossible for scouts and spies in Yangzhou to infiltrate the city. Similarly, spies already lurking within the city would face numerous difficulties in sending messages out. More importantly, many rivers in the north, such as the Dan River, Mian River, Tuan River, Yu River, and Bi River, converge at the foot of Xiangyang City to form the mighty Han River.

In this way, even if there was any intelligence in Xiangyang, it would be difficult to transmit it out by water. People had to be sent on foot for dozens of miles to carry the intelligence out of a certain area before it could be sent to the rear by water.

It was precisely because of these complex reasons that the Yangzhou army's intelligence-gathering capabilities declined significantly. As a result, the Yangzhou army failed to keep track of the movements of Cao Cao, Zhang Ji, and Xi Lu in the north. Xi Lu, in particular, was only discovered when he was practically upon them.

"My lord, in my opinion, we are afraid we will not be able to enter Xiangyang City for the time being."

Few dared to speak so frankly to Liu Feng. Aside from Liu Feng's father, Liu Bei, and his uncles Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci, only Zhuge Liang possessed the courage and authority to do so. Even Lu Xun and Pang Tong paled in comparison when speaking to Liu Feng.

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng couldn't help but sigh deeply. How could he not understand the reason behind it?

In fact, if Liu Feng were to launch a forced attack, he wouldn't be entirely without a chance. For one thing, his elite troops had been resting and preparing for battle for a long time, their morale was high, and their fighting power was at its peak.

If the Vanguard Army were released now, it would have a decisive advantage against any enemy force. Meanwhile, the Wandering Army would be responsible for containing another enemy force. In this way, the remaining forces could gather at least 30,000 to 40,000 men to besiege Xiangyang.

However, many things cannot be judged solely by the current situation; the consequences must also be fully considered.

Liu Feng knew perfectly well that as long as he refused to give up, Cao Cao would absolutely not back down in the slightest. At that time, a full-scale war between Cao Cao and Liu Feng would inevitably break out, and the Nanyang Basin would be the first to bear the brunt of the war.

Liu Feng was not afraid of confronting Cao Cao head-on.

Now, with his and his father's forces strong and well-equipped, their total strength almost matching that of Yuan Shao, Liu Feng naturally had no fear of Cao Cao, whose army numbered less than 100,000. However, while Liu Feng had a chance of defeating Cao Cao, he was not entirely confident that he could completely eliminate him.

If Cao Cao is severely wounded but not completely defeated, and instead forced to side with Yuan Shao, then the situation will become extremely unfavorable.

At the same time, there is another crucial factor that needs to be considered.

At this time, Liu Feng still had a large amount of territory to expand into. For example, the Jiangxia and Nan counties that had just been brought under his control, as well as a small part of the Xiangyang county, all of which needed time to be digested and consolidated.

Besides these newly acquired territories, there are also the four commanderies of Jingnan and the seven commanderies of Jiaozhi, all of which are highly promising new areas. It would be extremely unwise to engage in a full-scale war with Cao Cao over a half-crippled commandery like Nanyang before fully digesting and absorbing these new territories.

Most importantly, if you calculate the time, it is already August of 199 AD.

(End of this chapter)