My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 485 Arrangements are in order
The situation of the Jingman people was not much better than that of the Shanyue people.

Most of the Yue people were fragmented and fought not only against the Han people, but also against each other. Sometimes the fighting was so fierce that it was much more bloody and cruel than the conflict with the Han people.

The Han people did not actually kill the Yue tribes in the mountains. Because of the lack of population in the south, once the Yue tribes were conquered by the Han people, the strong and able-bodied were often selected as soldiers, farmers, while the old, weak, women and children were brought down from the mountains to be registered as ordinary people.

However, among the Yue people, the struggle for survival was fierce, with the victors only taking the able-bodied men and children from the other side, leaving the old and weak with no chance of survival. In years of famine or in resource-scarce regions, the victors would not even take in the able-bodied men, but instead kill them all to offer as sacrifices to the gods.

This is why the Shanyue were called Baiyue. The word "hundred" is actually a figurative number, which shows how much the Shanyue were divided.

The situation of the Jingman people was better than that of the Shanyue people, because the Jingman people had become more Sinicized than the Shanyue people.

Barbarian kings like Shamoke have actually built tribal alliances of hundreds of thousands of people in Jingzhou, capable of supporting thousands of full-time warriors.

Interestingly, these powerful barbarian kings were often closer to the Eastern Han government than smaller tribes.

Firstly, the tribal alliance was too large to be sustained by its own strength alone. It had to rely on trade with the Han people for supplies such as salt, cloth, and pottery.

The consequence of seeking favors from the Han people was that they had to be pro-Han and, to a certain extent, accept the rules and restrictions of the Eastern Han court in exchange for the right to trade.

However, it's worth noting that while these barbarian kings appeared pro-Han, this didn't necessarily mean they were truly pro-Han. Even if they were genuinely close to the Han people, it didn't mean they would sacrifice their own interests for the Eastern Han Dynasty.

After all, the barbarian king's level of centralization was far inferior to that of the Han people, and there were many factions within his territory. Some of these factions were even hostile to the barbarian king and were constantly looking for an opportunity to overthrow him.

Once a barbarian king who is hostile to the Han people comes to power, it often marks the beginning of a war of conquest.

The Jingman people of the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually disappeared from history in this cycle.

Liu Feng specifically told Pang Tong about these circumstances without reservation, while Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun, who were listening in, also seemed to be deep in thought.

After giving his instructions, Liu Feng did not let Pang Tong speak, but instead continued to introduce another place.

"The other place is the Commandant of Lujiang County in Jiangbei. This place is in the Jiangbei region of Yangzhou, adjacent to the Dabie Mountains. There are also a million Jingman people in the mountains, and there are two or three barbarian kings here. The most powerful one is named Mei Yin, who is related to my father's generals Mei Yu and Mei Qian. He has more than 100,000 followers in the Dabie Mountains and is quite powerful."

Then, Liu Feng said to Pang Tong, "I will assign Huang Zhong, a veteran general of Jingzhou, and Liao Hua, a famous scholar of Jingzhou, to you. You can also select two thousand elite troops from Jingzhou. I will also allow you to recruit one thousand retainers in Nanjun and recruit your family members to join the army. In addition, I will also transfer Zhou Jun from the Yangzhou army to lead one thousand Yangzhou soldiers to assist you, making a total of four thousand men."

Pang Tong's lineup was truly impressive. Huang Zhong was far more famous than Wei Yan at this time, not to mention local powerful figures like Huo Du, Huo Jun, and Fu Tong.

Huang Zhong was a true General of the Household, one of only a handful in the entire Jingzhou region. It's no exaggeration to say that Huang Zhong was the number one non-royal general in Liu Biao's personal guard.

Cai Mao was a relative of the imperial family, Huang Zu was a vassal, and Liu Pan was a member of the imperial clan. Huang Zhong, as the top general outside the imperial family, could be compared to these three, but his strength was naturally far inferior and they were not comparable.

Pang Tong was filled with gratitude beyond words. He could only keep this kindness deep in his heart and repay Liu Feng's kindness and trust with his death.

Liu Feng asked in a gentle voice, "Shiyuan, where do you intend to take up your post?"

Pang Tong remained silent for a moment, then instead of answering, asked, "Where does my lord require me to go?"

Liu Feng laughed, understanding that Pang Tong wanted to express his gratitude and loyalty in this way, so he accepted and said, "Go to Jiangbei first. I will have my father send Mei Yu and his son Mei Qian to help you."

Pang Tong was so grateful for Liu Feng's thoughtfulness and care that he was speechless and could only kneel down to show his respect.

Pang Tong's actions also inspired Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun, and the three of them bowed down together. Liu Feng then stepped forward with a smile and helped them up one by one, holding their hands and saying expectantly, "You all have my high expectations on you. You must protect yourselves and not give up lightly. Failure is nothing. Take care of yourselves, and you can start over. If you throw yourselves away lightly, what will become of me and my relatives and friends?"

Liu Feng's words were earnest and deeply moving, bringing tears to the eyes of Zhuge Liang and the other two. They wished they could lay bare their loyalty before Liu Feng.

After arranging the whereabouts of Zhuge Liang and the other two, Liu Feng did not rest, but instead summoned Lü Meng, Ling Cao, and Quan Cong.

Of the three, Lü Meng had implicitly become the leader. Ling Cao and Lü Meng were on good terms, and due to their age difference, Lü Meng clearly took the lead. Quan Cong, being new, naturally wouldn't want to cause trouble for Lü Meng and Ling Cao in order to integrate into the team. In addition, Lü Meng had high emotional intelligence, while Ling Cao was young, hence this outcome.

Liu Feng naturally did not value the three of them as much as Zhuge Liang and the other two.

Although Lü Meng was also a frequent visitor to the Temple of Martial Arts, and in terms of merit and ability, he might even surpass Pang Tong, Pang Tong still had the advantage of dying for Liu Feng's father in the original timeline.

After hearing Liu Feng's arrangement, the eyes of Lü Meng and the other two lit up immediately, clearly not expecting such a good thing to happen.

In fact, during this year and a half, Liu Feng had been constantly training Lü Meng, Ling Cao, and later Quan Cong as well. Lü Meng and Ling Cao were trained from the moment they joined Liu Feng's side. Initially, they were each assigned to lead a squad of armored soldiers, gradually rising to a platoon, and then to centurions. Quan Cong, upon arriving, immediately assumed the position of centurion, which was related to his noble family background and his already considerable knowledge and abilities.

Although they have all been promoted to the rank of Earl, which is certainly a test for the three talented and capable individuals, Liu Feng has great confidence in them.

After their initial surprise, the three men quickly knelt down and cried out, "We are willing to die for our lord!"

“Each of you three may select one hundred men from your personal guard as core members.”

Liu Feng was extremely generous to Lü Meng and the other two, and he understood that the biggest problem in building an army was the lack of trusted core members. Therefore, he gave them a hundred core members in one go, which was equivalent to giving them an extra hundred elite veterans. If you add a hundred sets of iron armor, they would be more than ten men each.

Lu Meng and his two companions were already overjoyed to hear that they had been transferred to a remote post and promoted to the rank of Dubo, commanding troops under Zhuge Liang and his men. They were truly delighted to receive such a huge windfall.

Seeing the excited and joyful expressions of Lü Meng and the other two, Liu Feng's mood improved as well.

However, he pretended to be disgusted and waved his hand, saying, "It seems that you all didn't want to stay by my side for a long time, and that's why you're so happy to be transferred to a different place."

Upon hearing this, Lü Meng and the other two were stunned. Even Lü Meng, the most quick-witted and resourceful of the three, was dumbfounded, let alone the straightforward Ling Cao and the kind-hearted Quan Cong.

"My lord, we...we are not..."

Lu Meng, Ling Cao, and Quan Cong were sweating profusely with anxiety. They all knelt down, wanting to explain. "Alright, alright."

Liu Feng laughed heartily, stopping his teasing and helping the three of them up one by one: "I was just joking with you, it's not that serious, please get up quickly."

After calming down Lü Meng and the other two, Liu Feng said, "You three should go and ask Kongming and the others to write a letter, and then go to General Jia. He will arrange for you to select the surrendered soldiers from Jingzhou."

Lu Meng and the other two responded respectfully in unison.

After watching Lü Meng and the other two leave, Liu Feng finally called Xu Chu in and then instructed him, "Zhongkang, prepare to go to the Kuai family mansion in the city."

"Here!"

Xu Chu responded and immediately turned to go out to make arrangements, but Liu Feng called him back.

After Xu Chu turned around, he heard Liu Feng ask, "Zhongkang, Lü Meng and the other two have been sent out by me to make meritorious contributions. Do you feel envious? If you also want to be sent out, you can tell me, and I will find you a good position."

Xu Chu felt a warmth in his heart and respectfully replied, "I have no extraordinary talent, only strength. It is my greatest honor to be able to follow my lord. I dare not have any other thoughts."

Liu Feng smiled with satisfaction and said no more, but he had already made up his mind that he would give Xu Chu some credit for his trip.

Contrary to the fictional account, Xu Chu in historical records was calm and composed, with extremely high emotional intelligence. He was fiercely loyal to Cao Cao, yet immediately after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi appointed him as a trusted general, continuing to protect Cao Pi closely.

The Cao family's tendency to be suspicious and jealous is a trait passed down from Cao Cao's lineage.

This clearly demonstrates just how exceptional Xu Chu's emotional intelligence is.

Although Cao Cao did not give Xu Chu the opportunity to make meritorious contributions on the battlefield, he certainly did not mistreat Xu Chu. He was granted a title and made a leader of the personal guard, which can be described as the extreme of trust and favor he showed.

The fact that Xu Chu, a low-ranking military man from a humble background, was able to eventually join the core group of Cao Wei is enough to prove Cao Cao's favor towards him.

However, Liu Feng always felt it was a pity, because he felt that Xu Chu, with his meticulousness, caution, bravery, and composure, actually had the makings of a great general. He really wanted to see Xu Chu achieve great merit on the battlefield and be ennobled.

Xu Chu apologized, turned and left, going outside to gather his personal guards and prepare for departure.

After a short while, Liu Feng, accompanied by Xu Chu, left the mansion, boarded a carriage, and headed to the Kuai family mansion as simply as possible.

As soon as Liu Feng left the mansion, it was like a stone thrown into a lake, immediately attracting the attention of many families. However, intimidated by the power of Liu Feng's army, these families only dared to watch from a distance, and none of them dared to approach.

The Kuai family mansion was actually quite close to the prefectural capital. The Kuai brothers were major shareholders of Liu Biao and held important positions in the Jingzhou prefectural capital. Liu Biao needed to discuss many matters concerning Jingzhou with them, so naturally they wouldn't be far away.

Kuai Yue is still in Jiangling City, while Kuai Liang has only recently returned to Xiangyang from Wancheng.

After Cao Cao's army took over Wancheng, Kuai Liang, who was serving as the Prefect of Nanyang in Wancheng, traveled lightly and day and night back to Xiangyang. However, upon returning to Xiangyang, Kuai Liang did not seek an audience with Liu Feng, nor did he visit other families. Instead, he went directly to his residence and remained secluded for four days.

During these four days, Kuai Liang closed his doors to guests, neither receiving the sons of the powerful clans of Xiangyang nor going out to visit Liu Feng. He simply stayed in the Kuai family mansion.

Kuai Liang's actions could easily be interpreted as defiance of the local rulers. Furthermore, Kuai Liang was a renowned scholar in Jingzhou, enjoying considerable prestige there. His assistance to Liu Biao in stabilizing Jingzhou further enhanced his reputation and made him a valuable asset to the region.

Suddenly, the tension in Xiangyang City, which had just begun to ease, became tense again.

Those in Jingzhou who were close to Liu Feng were worried about Kuai Liang's safety and hoped that Liu Feng would be magnanimous and forgive his rudeness. On the other hand, those who disliked Liu Feng or wanted to take advantage of the situation were secretly watching, hoping that a fierce conflict would break out between Liu Feng and Kuai Liang, or even the Kuai family, so that they could have an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

At this moment, Liu Feng's departure from the prefectural capital and his journey to the Kuai family mansion undoubtedly signified that things had reached a critical point.

For a time, everyone in Xiangyang, from aristocratic families and powerful merchants to peddlers and ordinary people, was waiting to see how things would unfold. Under the watchful eyes of almost everyone, Liu Feng alighted from his carriage at the gate of the Kuai family mansion and then instructed Xu Chu to knock on the door.

Soon, the small door next to the main gate opened, and an old man walked out; he was the steward of the Kuai family.

Upon seeing Liu Feng, the steward of the Kuai family immediately bowed and paid his respects to Liu Feng.

Seeing Liu Feng nod, Xu Chu stepped forward and asked the old man, "General Zuo has already sent his visiting card, intending to visit Lord Kuai today. Now that General Zuo has arrived, why not open the main gate to welcome this distinguished guest?"

The steward of the Kuai family said with a wry smile, "My master has been bedridden since returning to the manor a few days ago. The calling card that General Zuo sent earlier has been delivered to my master, but it has not been dealt with."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng's brows twitched slightly.

Kuai Liang actually fell ill.

I just don't know if this illness is real or not, whether it's a physical or psychological illness.

Before Xu Chu could speak further, Liu Feng somewhat impolitely stepped forward and said, "Since you are ill, sir, I should not trouble you further. However, you are a renowned scholar in Jingzhou, and now that you are unwell, how can I be at ease if I cannot see you in person?"

"Open the middle gate, and I will go into the mansion to see you, sir."

Liu Feng turned around and instructed, "Put the carriage outside the mansion."

According to custom, the carriage should also enter the mansion. For a distinguished guest like Liu Feng, the host would naturally remove the lintel to welcome the honored guest's carriage into the mansion.

However, now that Kuai Liang is ill, Liu Feng naturally cannot ask for too much.

If it weren't for the illogical nature of it, he wouldn't have minded entering through the side door.

(End of this chapter)