My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 492 Recruiting Kuai Yue
Liu Feng's surprise was not feigned, but stemmed from his trust in Kuai Yue's abilities and his willingness to listen to the other party's true performance.

However, Kuai Yue immediately shook his head: "Nanyang is not attainable for the time being, unless our lord is willing to fight a major battle with the Grand General for the sake of Nanyang and accept the situation where the Grand General and the Grand Marshal join forces. Otherwise, Nanyang is out of reach in the short term."

Liu Feng was somewhat puzzled; wasn't this exactly what he had done?

Kuai Yue sensed Liu Feng's confusion and stated his conclusion directly: "What I mean is that even if Nanyang is ceded to the Grand General, the Grand General must not be trusted. Sooner or later, there will be a battle between the lord and the Grand General. With the Grand Marshal present, the lord must be wary of the Grand General betraying the alliance, and even more so of the Grand General turning against him at the most critical moment."

Liu Feng suddenly realized that Kuai Yue's words had hit the nail on the head regarding his deepest concerns.

Cao Cao was a man of great talent and ambition, quick-witted and unconventional in his actions, and he did not value morality.

When he was young, Cao Cao was fine. In order to integrate into the aristocratic class, he took the conduct and morality of the aristocracy as an example and disciplined himself. At that time, Cao Cao was more virtuous than most of the aristocratic sons.

But Cao Cao after becoming a warlord was completely different; he let himself go completely.

Of all the warlords in the land, only Cao Cao dared to implement the policy of appointing officials based solely on merit.

Many people in later generations felt that meritocracy was a good policy, with the capable rising and the incapable falling.

However, the meritocracy in the Eastern Han Dynasty was not so simple. The more accurate meaning was that as long as you had talent and were willing to be loyal to Cao Cao, even if you had done things that were immoral, such as being unfilial, unkind, unjust, corrupt, or greedy, you could still get an official position under Cao Cao.

Cao Cao himself did not want to implement the meritocracy policy; it was only because the situation forced him to do so.

Yuan Shao's reputation was too strong, and Cao Cao had broken with the emperor early on. In reality, there were not many aristocratic sons who joined him at that time, and he always lacked enough trustworthy officials to manage his territory.

That's why we had no choice but to introduce the policy of selecting the best candidates.

This policy immediately drew backlash and criticism from the aristocratic class, essentially giving Cao Cao his limited reputation in exchange for a group of officials who were relatively loyal to him.

Why is he considered relatively loyal? Just look at the fact that Yuan Shao received several large boxes of secret letters of surrender as soon as he crossed the river, and even after Cao Cao won the battle, he didn't dare to settle scores and could only choose to burn them all. This shows how fragile Yuan Shao's base was.

Cao Cao was also a human being, and he had his own ideas. Didn't he want to settle scores and crush these traitors one by one?
But thinking about it carefully, while I may have gotten my money's worth, the Battle of Guandu might have been fought for nothing.

Those people couldn't just sit and wait to die; Yuan Shao had only fled, but he wasn't dead yet.

Therefore, Liu Feng was well aware that Cao Cao at this time was utterly immoral and had already betrayed his allies long ago.

As Yuan Shao's subordinate, he now turns around and takes advantage of his elder brother, showing him disrespect and arrogance. Relying on the emperor's authority, he makes things difficult for Yuan Shao in various ways. Although his motivation may be to vent his resentment at being bullied and looked down upon by Yuan Shao in the past, how can this not be considered a betrayal of Yuan Shao?

“What my uncle said makes a lot of sense.”

Liu Feng only thought about it briefly before agreeing with Kuai Yue's suggestion.

Kuai Yue was taken aback. In his view, Liu Feng and Cao Cao cooperated quite well. Moreover, Liu Feng explained that the alliance between the two sides had lasted for several years. In addition, Liu Feng had been successful since childhood and had never experienced setbacks.

He had initially thought Liu Feng wouldn't believe his judgment and was considering how to offer further advice to avoid being taken advantage of by Cao Cao. Unexpectedly, Liu Feng accepted his view on the spot.

Compared to Liu Biao's outward magnanimity but inward suspicion, Liu Feng's open-mindedness is particularly touching.

Liu Feng then asked, "In your opinion, Uncle, how should I respond?"

Kuai Yue, clearly already confident, immediately replied, "Naturally, we will attack from the east and defend from the west."

Liu Feng's eyes lit up, and he pressed for an answer: "What does 'attacking in the east and defending in the west' mean?"

"The troops marched out of Qingzhou to attack, while the troops were stationed in Xiangyang to defend."

Kuai Yue then explained in detail: "The world is now divided into three. The Grand Marshal is in Hebei, and unification is in sight. He controls four provinces and has the iron cavalry of You and Bing. He can be said to be poised to dominate two provinces. My lord and his son are in the southeast, and they control the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. They also have the Han River and Huai River as their support. If they can also bring Jiaozhou under their control, I'm afraid even the Grand Marshal will not be able to match them."

"As for the Grand General, although he is considered one of the three heroes, his actual strength is no longer comparable to that of the Lord and his son and the Grand Marshal. His territory is small and is laid out in a long, straight line. If the army wins, it can coordinate its forces from both ends. However, the Grand General only has a little over 100,000 troops. Once the war starts, he will be attacked and trapped everywhere."

Liu Feng listened to Kuai Yue's analysis and nodded in agreement.

The biggest drawback of Liu Bei and his son is their unstable foundation. After all, they expanded too quickly and their territory was too large. Even Xuzhou, where they started, is not Liu Bei's hometown. Moreover, they have no relatives to help them. It's a miserable situation.

But their strength on paper is indeed frightening. Putting aside everything else, if Liu Feng had only reduced his troops a little after the Battle of Jingzhou, the total strength of the Liu family would have almost caught up with the combined forces of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Kuai Yue clearly saw this as well, which is why his suggestion was remarkably similar to Xun You's.

After analyzing the current situation of the Yuan, Cao, and Liu families, Kuai Yue advised, "In this case, time is on our side, not theirs. Our lord is like the rising sun, growing stronger day by day, while both the Grand Marshal and the General-in-Chief are already at their zenith. In the future, they will inevitably decline."

"My lord, please look!"

Kuai Yue stood up and took out a map of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty from behind him.

"Since ancient times, the north and south have been divided by the Qinling Mountains and the Dabie Mountains."

Kuai Yue pointed to Xiangyang and said, "Xiangyang is a strategic pass in the world, easy to defend and difficult to attack. With the Han River as its supply line, we only need 70,000 to 80,000 elite soldiers to resist 200,000 enemy troops. If our lord sends another general with 30,000 to 50,000 elite troops and dozens of capable officials to advance by land and sea, we can conquer Jiaozhou in a day or two. In less than two or three years, we can completely turn it into our own."

"At that time, the southeastern states have been occupied by the lord and his son for many years. With the combined strength of the five states, they will send a general with 100,000 troops out of Jingzhou, while the lord will personally lead the main force out of Huai and Si, and the General of Chariots and Cavalry will lead his troops out of Donghai. With the three armies advancing simultaneously, I'm afraid the general will have no choice but to retreat to Guanzhong to survive, and the Grand Marshal will have no place to stand in Henan."

"Excellent! Sir, you are truly a remarkable person!"

Liu Feng cheered loudly, but then added with a smile, "Sir's idea is very much in line with mine! However, in my deployment, there is another army that can be used."

Kuai Yue was taken aback. He examined the map more closely, then frowned and tentatively asked, "Does the general intend to divide his forces in Runan into two routes? To use one route to attack Yingchuan and support the Jingzhou army? Or should the General of Chariots and Cavalry send a portion of his troops into Qingzhou to contain Yuan Tan?"

But then, Kuai Yue immediately denied it, saying, "No... it shouldn't be."

After pondering for a moment, Kuai Yue shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I really can't think of any other fourth army."

Liu Feng laughed heartily, "Uncle previously mentioned that the journey south to Jiaozhou would require a combined land and water advance, why didn't you think of that?" "Could it be..."

After being reminded by Liu Feng, Kuai Yue suddenly realized what was happening, but disbelief still lingered in his eyes.

The concept of sea power simply didn't exist during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liu Feng's ships could only travel south from Xuzhou to Jiaozhou, so why couldn't they travel north from Qingzhou and Xuzhou to Ji and Youzhou?

From Yuyang Commandery to Bohai Commandery, the coastline stretches for thousands of miles, boasting numerous excellent harbors suitable for large ships, and countless beaches suitable for landing. There's no need to conquer cities or seize territory; simply plundering, looting, and relocating people is enough to keep Yuan Shao constantly on edge and on edge.

Just as Kuai Yue had guessed, Liu Feng drew a line on the Hebei coastline with his hand: "Naval forces are my family's specialty. At this crucial moment of battle, how can we stand idly by? I intend to send a naval admiral to lead tens of thousands of elite naval troops, departing from Xuzhou, resupplying through Qingzhou, and harassing the Hebei coast. What do you think, Uncle?"

Kuai Yue did not answer immediately, but fell into deep thought, his eyes burning with intensity, almost radiating light.

After a long while, Kuai Yue first exhaled a heavy breath, then exclaimed with admiration, "Today I finally understand that the gods have bestowed the blood of dragons."

Liu Feng smiled bitterly to himself. Well, Kuai Yue's attitude was that he actually wanted to mythologize him.

However, Kuai Yue did not elaborate on this topic. Instead, he enthusiastically calculated: "The coast of Hebei stretches for thousands of miles, with people scattered and lacking major towns. Take Bohai Commandery as an example. Its territory is almost a third of Qingzhou. However, within its commandery, there are only eight counties, and they are all concentrated in the south-central part of Bohai Commandery. There is not even a single county in the north, yet hundreds of thousands of people still live there. Yuan Shao must be extremely troubled."

Kuai Yue became more and more excited as he spoke: "The coastline stretches for thousands of miles, with defenses everywhere. Even if all the troops from Hebei were brought here, it might not be enough. But if we don't defend it, then we'll have to relocate the people. Tens of thousands of people—how easy is that? And even if we could really relocate them, where would we find so much land to house them?"

The population in the north had also decreased significantly. Even in Ji Province, a large plain province, the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the protracted war between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan resulted in heavy casualties.

However, the powerful clans and gentry in the north did not suffer much damage, because both Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan tried to win them over through appeasement and co-optation. And the land was concentrated in the hands of these people.

In the years that followed, Yuan Shao registered households and distributed public land in Ji Province, which had already offended the powerful clans and gentry of Hebei Province quite a bit.

If we were to seize the land of the powerful clans and distribute it to these people now, would they really think that if the powerful clans of Yanzhou could do it, the powerful clans of Jizhou couldn't?
Especially with Liu Bei and his son leading a large-scale northward campaign and their army pressing on the border, Yuan Shao would definitely be hesitant to act rashly.

Kuai Yue shook his head repeatedly, marveling at the sight. He concluded, "No matter how the Grand Marshal responds, the entire Bohai prefecture will inevitably be reduced to ashes. The Grand Marshal will be caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. My lord is truly a divine being."

These words came from the heart, and although they may have seemed a little flattering, they were Kuai Yue's sincere words.

He already thought highly of Liu Feng, but after talking with him, he found that Liu Feng's abilities were even greater than he had expected, and that Liu Feng treated him with the respect due to a junior. Both his manners and the favor he received were top-notch.

How could Kuai Yue not be moved by this?

The thought that Liu Feng and his son were of imperial lineage fueled Kuai Yue's burning desire.

Although the Eastern Han Dynasty is now on its last legs and on the verge of collapse, and all the warlords and powerful clans believe that the Han Dynasty is doomed and cannot be restored, there are still quite a few people in reality who still yearn for the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, neither Yuan Shao nor Cao Cao would have been so troubled by this.

After all, the Han Dynasty lasted for four hundred years, and even when it was about to perish, it still had many loyal ministers and filial sons.

It can be said that for every person who wanted to rebel against the Han Dynasty, there was just as many who wanted to protect it.

Leaving aside the great schemer Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Sun Jian were also loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty in the early stages, wanting to support the Han Dynasty and save the nation from collapse.

That night, Liu Feng and Kuai Yue had a long talk, but they did not sleep in the same bed, since Kuai Yue was his uncle and he could not sleep with him.

The next day, Liu Feng went to see Kuai Yue early in the morning.

Subsequently, with Kuai Yue's introduction, Liu Feng met with Liu Pan, Huang Zhong, Wen Pin, and other surrendered generals of Liu Biao.

Liu Pan was quite surprised. He had thought that Liu Feng was young and impetuous, and as the winner, he had conquered the entire Jingzhou in just half a year with the same number of troops, so he would naturally be arrogant.

Although Huang Zhong, Wen Pin, and others did not verbally agree with Liu Pan, they all had similar thoughts in their hearts.

To Liu Pan's surprise, Liu Feng was very friendly upon meeting him and even addressed him as a cousin, which made Liu Pan feel somewhat flattered. What surprised Liu Pan and the others even more was that Liu Feng had brought Liu Hu along as well.

In the previous battle at Baqiu on the south bank of Dongting Lake, Han Xi was killed on the spot, while Liu Hu was captured by Zhou Tai and others and later sent to Liu Feng in Shaxian to claim credit.

This time, when Liu Feng went south, he brought Liu Hu with him, and Liu Hu appeared before Liu Pan and the others.

"Brother!"

As soon as Liu Hu saw Liu Pan, tears welled up in his eyes.

Although Liu Feng hadn't mistreated him these days, he couldn't eat or sleep well.
His former arrogance had vanished, and now, upon seeing his cousin Liu Pan, his eyes were truly brimming with tears.

"Ahu."

Liu Pan stood up abruptly, overjoyed.

Although I had learned from Liu Feng's army that Liu Hu was alright, I was still uneasy because I hadn't seen him in person.

Seeing that Liu Hu was safe and sound, Liu Pan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Especially intelligent people like Wen Ping, who realized that something unusual had happened.

Liu Hu was not only Liu Biao's own nephew, but also had only mediocre abilities; his only redeeming quality was his blind loyalty.

If Liu Feng didn't kill such people, then it's even less likely that non-Liu Feng generals like Wen Pin and Huang Zhong would be punished.

Realizing this, Wenping hesitated.

As Liu Biao's trusted and beloved general, and given Wen Ping's honest and kind nature, he was naturally very loyal to Liu Biao and made great contributions to him.

The problem is that Wen Ping is different from Huang Zhong; he is not alone, but has a large family behind him.

(End of this chapter)