My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 533 Capturing the Two Shen
"What's going on? Where did these people come from?"

Wearing a bathrobe, Shen Dan fled in panic under the protection of his guards, trying to escape to the military camp through the back door.

His younger brother, Shen Yi, also joined him in the backyard. He was in no better shape than Shen Dan, looking extremely disheveled.

As soon as the two met, Shen Dan shouted questions, but Shen Yi was completely bewildered and had no idea what was going on.

Seeing his younger brother's blank expression, Shen Dan knew he wouldn't get any information out of him. Besides, the mansion was already in great danger; the attacking enemy had already breached the second gate, and if they didn't leave soon, they might not be able to escape.

"Let's go to the barracks first."

Shen Dan took the precious sword handed to him by the guard and hurried toward the back door.

Shen Yi hurriedly followed, and the two guards joined together, numbering about a hundred. They split into two groups, covering the retreat of the Shen brothers, Shen Dan and Shen Yi.

Fortunately, they did not encounter any enemies along the way, and the brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi soon arrived at the back gate.

Two guards stepped forward, opened the back door, looked outside, and then called out, "No one's at the back door, you can leave quickly!"

Shen Dan and Shen Yi were overjoyed and were about to leave under the close protection of their guards when suddenly a rain of arrows came down, and the dozen or so guards who had gone out first were all shot down.

"No, there's an ambush!"

The remaining people quickly pulled Shen Dan and Shen Yi back.

With the back door blocked as well, and the shouts of battle from the front yard growing ever closer, Shen Yi's face turned deathly pale. His voice trembled as he asked Shen Dan, "Elder brother, what should we do now?!"

Shen Dan glared fiercely at his useless younger brother, a sense of despair rising in his heart.

But when he thought of the two thousand men in the camp, he realized that once they joined forces, there was still much that could be accomplished.

Seeing that the enemy's advance on Shenfu was so slow, it was clear that their forces were not strong. If he could escape into the military camp, he might be able to drive the enemy out of the city. Even if that didn't work, at the very least he could protect himself and leave Shangyong.

"Take all the door panels off."

Shen Dan looked around, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Use the door panels to block the arrows! We can't stay here any longer, we must leave as soon as possible!"

The guards immediately sprang into action, dismantling all the doors and windows that could be removed in the backyard. They even went so far as to dismantle the beds and windows to use as shields.

This tactic really worked. Most of the arrows raining down from afar were light arrows, with very few heavy arrows capable of piercing armor. The wooden planks effectively defended against the enemy's arrow barrage.

Just as the brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi were overjoyed, thinking they could finally escape, a clanging sound of metal clashing rang out from the alley across the street. Soon after, a dozen armored soldiers emerged from the alley, each clad in full armor, carrying steel swords, and with small gourds hanging from their waists—they were armed to the teeth.

These dozen or so armored warriors were extremely experienced in combat. After emerging, they formed three to five small formations in just a few breaths. The formations were staggered and supported each other, and they silently charged towards the Shen brothers.

"Quickly cover the patriarch's escape!"

The Shen family guards outside rushed forward. At this moment, it was a contest of courage. Once suppressed, a group of people crowded together would not be able to maneuver properly, and no matter how many people there were, they would only be the enemy's military merit.

These Shen family guards were quite courageous and tactically skilled, knowing how to create space for their comrades.

Unfortunately, they encountered what could be considered the most elite troops in the world at present. These were veterans handpicked from the battlefield, who had undergone scientific training by Liu Feng and martial arts training by Xu Chu. They were now armed to the teeth, each armored soldier resembling a human tank. How could flesh and blood possibly withstand these ferocious beasts?

In just one exchange, more than half of the dozen or so Shen family guards who were charging at each other fell down, and the rest were all wounded and retreated in a sorry state.

Shen Dan looked at the armored soldiers opposite him in despair; these cold, lifeless fighting machines made a sound for the first time.

"kill!"

**
By daybreak, Xu Chu had already captured key locations such as the prefectural government, county government, armory, granary, and warehouse.

At this time, the two brothers, Shen Dan and Shen Yi, had been captured alive and were kneeling in the courtyard outside Xu Chu's gate.

As for the Shen family, Liu Feng had already given instructions to make an example of them and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

The brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi are not going to live; at most, they will be given a quick death. As for the Shen family, they can forget about staying in Shangyong. The entire clan, along with their staunch supporters and private retainers, totaling seven or eight thousand people, will be relocated to the border and exiled to Jiaozhou.

Although Jiaozhou now has a population of over two million, the area is too large and still lacks manpower. Not to mention that these two million people are all concentrated in the South China Sea, in Cangwu and Jiaozhi, which are the more developed prefectures and kingdoms of Jiaozhou with better living conditions.

Regions like Yulin Commandery, Hepu Commandery, and especially Jiuzhen and Rinan Commandery, had very few Han Chinese and urgently needed population migration.

After these seven or eight thousand people were dispersed, two thousand were given to each prefecture, and then further subdivided into the counties and towns below. It was like sprinkling a handful of salt into a pond; the people were immediately diluted and invisible. There was no need to worry about them banding together to rebel.

Liu Feng did give the Shen family a chance, but the Shen family rejected his goodwill.

Since the Shen family rejected his offer, Liu Feng had no choice but to give them the weapon.

This is not because Liu Feng is cruel, but because if he lets the Shen family go, other powerful families will follow suit, and how will Liu Feng then restore the Han Dynasty and revive China?
Moreover, happiness comes from comparison.

After Liu Feng took control of Jingzhou, he was quite lenient with the powerful families of Jingzhou for various reasons. Although this allowed him to quickly establish himself in Jingzhou and expand his power, it also allowed the powerful families of Jingzhou to retain most of their strength.

Even though Liu Feng severely punished the Huang family for choosing the wrong side, he didn't completely eliminate them out of consideration for Kuai, Pang, and the Huang family's branch.

Only the Cai family's assets that had fled were completely confiscated, and no one showed them any leniency.

Therefore, the powerful families of Jingzhou inevitably developed the misconception that Liu Feng was relatively easy to talk to.

This doesn't mean that Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, Pang Ji, Pang Hua, Pang Tong, and others actually saw things very clearly and always behaved themselves, but they couldn't stop others in the clan from causing trouble.

The powerful families are not just these few people; even with their advice and warnings, there will still be those below who outwardly comply but inwardly defy them.

Liu Feng encountered far more and more troubles during his trip to Jingzhou than he did in Yangzhou, and these incidents were incredibly varied, leaving him quite irritated.

However, now is not the time to settle scores with them. Liu Feng only severely punished a few of the most outrageous incidents that resulted in deaths, leaving the rest to be dealt with by the Jingzhou gentry. He mainly wanted to see the reaction of the Jingzhou gentry.

This time, making an example of the Shen family is also a small punishment to warn the powerful clans and gentry of Jingzhou.

If they still don't behave, then don't blame Liu Feng for being ruthless. The powerful clans of Yangzhou would be more than happy to be tools in Liu Feng's hands. The powerful clans of Yangzhou have long been envious of Liu Feng's generous treatment of the powerful clans of Jingzhou. However, Liu Feng's reputation in Yangzhou is too formidable; the powerful clans of Yangzhou dare not even express their anger, let alone harbor any resentment. But this doesn't mean the powerful clans of Yangzhou are pushovers. If Liu Feng really wants to make a move, they wouldn't hesitate to slaughter everyone in Jingzhou, letting the people of Jingzhou experience the same fate they had suffered before.

"General, Mr. Pang has arrived."

Xu Chu was flipping through various military reports. He wasn't illiterate; he just wasn't familiar with the classics, but he still knew quite a few commonly used characters.

After joining Liu Feng's side, Xu Chu, who always loved to teach, frequently gave Xu Feng pointers, making him significantly stronger than in the original timeline. At least in terms of governance, appointing Xu Chu as a county magistrate would be no problem at all.

Upon hearing that Pang Tong had arrived, Xu Chu was overjoyed and quickly stood up, saying, "Where is the gentleman? I want to go and greet him in person."

No sooner had Xu Chu finished speaking than Pang Tong's voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

"There's no need for the general to trouble himself."

Pang Tong, dressed in a blue robe, walked in from outside.

As soon as he entered, Shen Dan and Shen Yi's eyes turned red, and they both started cursing loudly.

"You treacherous dog! You are a traitor, utterly shameless! With a descendant like you in the Pang family, the entire clan will be wiped out sooner or later!"

The surrounding soldiers wanted to step forward and shout insults, but Pang Tong waved his hand to stop them. Then, he looked at the Shen brothers, Shen Dan and Shen Yi, with a leisurely air and sneered, "Betrayal? Between you and me, the alliance has not been formed. My advice has been ignored by you two brothers. How can you say that we have broken our promise?"

The brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi were rendered speechless by Pang Tong's retort, but their anger showed no signs of abating.

A moment later, Shen Dan cursed again: "You aided and abetted the wicked and plotted to seize my Shen family's land for no reason. Even if I become a vengeful ghost after I die, I will never let you go."

Pang Tong, however, looked disdainful and said contemptuously, "Shangyong is part of the territory of the Han Dynasty. How dare your Shen family utter such arrogant words? The reason why the Han Dynasty has fallen to this state is because of the endless killing of you bandits! I only regret that I cannot kill you all for the sake of General Zuo. You are no match for me even when you are alive. Even if you become a vengeful ghost, why should I hesitate to kill you again?"

Shen Dan felt like he was about to explode with anger. He had been completely outmaneuvered by Pang Tong in his schemes, and before he died, he wanted to vent his anger, but he couldn't even win an argument with him. How tragic and helpless he was.

Shen Dan wished he could die on the spot, while Shen Yi was already ashen-faced and dared not utter a word.

Pang Tong ignored the two and walked towards Xu Chu.

"Meet the general."

"Sir, you flatter me."

Xu Chu knew that Pang Tong's favor with Liu Feng was no less than his own, and that Pang Tong, Zhuge Liang, and Lu Xun never showed the contempt that the gentry usually had for warriors. They always treated Xu Chu with courtesy, and the three of them got along quite well.

This time, Liu Feng released Xu Chu to gain military merit, so Pang Tong's evaluation of Xu Chu naturally rose to a higher level, and he would naturally cooperate fully, so it was even less likely that he would speak coldly to him.

"General, the treasury has been sealed. It contains more than 1.6 million coins, more than 120 catties of gold, more than 50 catties of silver, more than 13,000 bolts of cloth, more than 400,000 shi of grain, and other supplies."

Pang Tong did not come to see Xu Chu immediately; instead, he went to seal up the treasury.

The supplies in Shangyong City are for the next step of conquering the entire Shangyong region, so they can't be wasted. One shi of grain here is equivalent to two or three dou of one shi in Xiangyang.

The accumulated amount of 400,000 shi is equivalent to an extra 100,000 shi.

Not to mention there were many other supplies as well.

Although Shangyong was not considered wealthy, it was not poor during the Eastern Han Dynasty. After all, the Mianshui and Dushui rivers flowed through the area and carved out small plains, producing enough grain to feed the population of Shangyong Commandery.

Moreover, Shangyong County also has mineral resources. The more than 100 catties of gold and silver that Pang Tong seized were produced by these iron ore deposits.

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Shen family has been in control of the Shangyong region. Although they dare not cut off taxes, they are very bold in delaying and accumulating arrears.

When Dong Zhuo started his rebellion, the Shen family simply cut off taxation and became the local tyrants of Shangyong.

These gold and silver were accumulated by the Shen family over the years since they took control of the Shangyong mines, as well as obtained through trade with the surrounding Ba people.

Now, naturally, everything benefits Liu Feng.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

A look of joy flashed across Xu Chu's face; these were all his spoils of war.

After Liu Feng's reforms and military achievements, gold, silver, armor, weapons, flags, drums, horns, and food supplies were all rewarded for merit. A strict and relatively scientific evaluation system was established, more specific and detailed than the systems established since the Qin and Han dynasties. Coupled with strict military discipline and control, and Liu Feng's continuously improving treatment of his soldiers, Liu Feng's army became increasingly disciplined.

Although the armies of the feudal era could not compare with the PLA of later times, it is an indisputable fact that Liu Feng's army was the most organized and disciplined in the late Han Dynasty, and even approached the level of European army after the national enlightenment in modern times.

This is not surprising, after all, Han Chinese nationalism has existed for a long time, even dating back to the Three Dynasties period. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for each dynasty to cite classical texts, even the Liao, Jin, Mongol, and Qing dynasties, to prove that they were the legitimate successors of the Han Chinese and that they were one of their own.

This Huaxia is the root of the Han people.

"General, there are still more than two thousand Shen family soldiers in the western camp. We must not let them escape out of the city."

Pang Tong then brought up another matter. Although the Shen brothers had been captured, the Shen family army was now leaderless. However, there were still over two thousand men in the camp north of the city, and Xu Chu only had about that number in total. Pang Tong naturally wanted to remind him of this.

Xu Chu chuckled upon hearing this, showing no sign of worry whatsoever.

"Sir, there's no need to worry. Those two thousand people are already trapped here."

It turned out that after Xu Chu entered the city, he immediately dispatched 600 troops to block the reinforcements. The commanders of these troops were Zhou Jun, Zhou Yu's nephew, and Zhou Fang, Zhou Bin's son.

Just in case, Xu Chu also gave the other side fifty sets of armor, only requiring that they not allow Shen's army to come out of the camp to provide reinforcements before he captured the key points in the city.

Judging from the task assigned by Xu Chu, Xu Chu did not put too much pressure on Er Zhou, but Er Zhou gave Xu Chu an unexpected surprise.

About half a cup of tea's time before Pang Tong arrived, military reports from the north of the city had already reached him.

(End of this chapter)