My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 539 Hidden Intentions
Sima Yi did not mean to betray Cao Cao and join Liu Feng; what he wanted to do was to give the Sima family the ability and value to switch sides.

This is also the root of Sima Lang's worries over the past two years.

Sima Lang deeply regretted that when Liu Feng came to welcome the emperor back to the capital, he had not sent any of his clan members to serve him.

Liu Feng had personally stayed in Wen County at that time, and had even summoned the local gentry and powerful families, and had inquired about the situation of the Sima family.

However, Sima Lang himself was not in Wen County at the time, and Sima Yi did not take a liking to Liu Feng.

Sima Lang could understand his younger brother's thoughts. After all, the Liu family father and son were from Hebei and had started their power in Xuzhou, so they had no connection with Sili. Moreover, geographically speaking, Liu Feng did not have the strength to occupy Hanoi at that time. At most, he was just a warlord passing through, and there was no reason for the Sima family to bet on him and serve him.

No one could have predicted that the other side would develop so quickly. By the time the other side became worth betting on, the Sima family was no longer worthy of betting.

"Elder brother, Xun Gongda is now a trusted advisor to the General of the Cavalry and is highly valued. I heard that in this battle of Qingzhou, the General of the Cavalry personally invited Xun Gongda to serve as the military advisor and strategist, which shows how highly valued he is."

Sima Yi whispered a reminder to Sima Lang: Almost everyone in Cao Cao's high command knew about Xun You's situation; it was no less well-known than Xun Chen's in Yuan Shao's camp. This was because Xun You's position in Liu Bei's camp had risen later but was already showing signs of surpassing Xun Chen.

This made many families, like the Sima family, extremely envious, and quite a few secretly jealous as well.

With the world now divided into three, the Xun family has managed to secure core positions in all three of the strongest warlord factions. Regardless of which faction ultimately achieves great success, the Xun family's safety is not a concern. Moreover, it is foreseeable that the Xun family will eventually become one of the most powerful families in the new empire.

Sima Yi felt a surge of jealousy and envy whenever he thought about this.

Sima Yi made other efforts, suggesting that his elder brother propose marriage to Xun Yu on behalf of his third brother.

Xun Yu had an unmarried adult daughter at this time. If the Sima family could form a marriage alliance with Xun Yu, they would not only be able to take a step further now and become the core family of the Henan faction, but they would also have the Xun family as a safety net in the future.

This idea is entirely beneficial and without any drawbacks.

Anything that's good in every way has only one drawback—it's expensive.

It is said that a good daughter is sought after by many families, but Xun Yu's daughter was sought after by more than a hundred families.
Even Cao Cao was secretly tempted to become in-laws with Xun Yu, but Xun Yu simply wouldn't budge. If Xun Yu had just been willing to agree, Cao Cao could have immediately arranged for Cao Ang to marry Xun Yu's daughter as his principal wife.

In the original timeline, Xun Yu eventually married his beloved daughter to Chen Qun, mainly because he admired Chen Qun's selfless and altruistic character, and also intentionally avoided a marriage alliance with the Cao family.

However, this plan is no longer feasible at the moment. Chen Qun was suitable because although his family did not have much wealth or resources, his grandfather, Chen Shi, had extremely high prestige in Yingchuan. They were a typical case of having a small family background but a great reputation. In addition, Chen Qun himself was indeed very talented, and his father, Chen Ji, was a high-ranking official of the prefectural level with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

These factors made Chen Qun the most suitable person, as he had enough family reputation to appease the Cao family, but not enough power to arouse their fear.

The Sima family would not be able to do it. The Sima family has been deeply rooted in Hanoi for hundreds of years and is a top family in Hanoi. In the whole country, they would definitely be a second-class upper-class aristocratic family, only one step away from being a first-class family.

Cao Cao would certainly not trust such a family to form a marriage alliance with the Xun family, and he would not tolerate Sima Fu taking Xun Yu's daughter right under his nose.

Therefore, after much consideration, Sima Lang rejected his brother's suggestion and did not even give it a try.

"If I had known this would happen, I should have let you serve as the Left General in the past."

Sima Lang sighed, feeling quite regretful.

Sima Lang was well aware of his younger brother's talent.

Consider Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, and Pang Tong; their origins were inferior to his own younger brother's, yet they all caught Liu Feng's eye. If his younger brother had joined General Zuo when he returned east that year, he would surely have distinguished himself with his talent, and his seniority would have surpassed those of these men.

"It's pointless to talk about these things now."

Sima Yi, however, was a man of unwavering resolve, his eyes filled with determination: "The most urgent task is to enhance the family's status and influence in the court. For this, my brother has no choice but to take the risk."

Sima Lang looked at Sima Yi for a moment, then suddenly smiled bitterly: "I'm sorry to have wronged my second brother."

"The rise and fall of the family rests on one's shoulders, so how can one complain about being wronged?"

Sima Yi, however, remained calm and confident, saying, "Moreover, I have a plan in mind for this trip to Hanzhong. What you have said to me, General, is exactly what I have in mind and is not empty talk."

Although Sima Lang had some doubts, seeing his younger brother so confident made him feel better: "If that's the case, then go ahead and do it. If you need any cooperation from the clan, just tell your elder brother."

"Here!"

Sima Yi gladly accepted the order.

**
Time flies, and another year has passed.

Liu Feng spent the New Year in Xiangyang, hosting a banquet for all the gentry and prominent families of Jingzhou, as well as powerful figures from various regions.

Almost everyone invited by Liu Feng attended, except for a few special circumstances, such as old age and frailty, sudden illness, or mourning for relatives.

Therefore, the New Year's banquet that year was also extremely lively.

Fortunately, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Yuzhou have now stabilized. Even Sili and Yanzhou, which are under Cao Cao's control, have been peaceful for three years. Otherwise, there would really be a situation where the rich feast while the poor freeze to death.

Compared to the Xuzhou scholars' close and affectionate attitude towards Liu Feng, and the Yangzhou scholars' attitude towards Liu Feng's mix of fear and respect, the Jingzhou scholars' attitude towards Liu Feng was somewhat ingratiating, bordering on flattery.

With the Pang, Kuai, and Huang families at the forefront, the foundation of the Jingzhou gentry was even more solid than that of the Yangzhou gentry.

Jingzhou not only did not experience any major wars, but also enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests over the years. Objectively speaking, Liu Biao's governance was quite good. He built water conservancy projects, sheltered refugees, and reclaimed wasteland, laying a solid foundation for Liu Feng.

Faced with Liu Feng, a man of great military prowess, the gentry of Jingzhou dared not and were unwilling to be stingy. Not only did they send extremely generous gifts during the New Year, but their words also implied their willingness to raise and donate more grain, weapons, money, and various supplies for Liu Feng.

The reason for this strange phenomenon is not that the gentry of Jingzhou were particularly special, or that they suddenly had a change of heart and reformed, nor that they were conquered by Liu Feng's domineering aura and suddenly became extremely loyal. Rather, it is because the overall situation has changed.

To reiterate the old saying, of the thirteen provinces under heaven, the Liu family father and son had already acquired five. If it were during a time of peace, it would be fine, since at that time, of the five provinces held by the Liu family father and son, only Yu Province, which was missing one prefecture and could be ranked second, could not be ranked in the top five, and Jiao Province was even at the bottom.

But now things are completely different. If we calculate based on the current population, economy, and military strength of the world, the five provinces held by Liu and his sons are almost all in the top seven. The other two are Yuan Shao's Ji Province and Liu Zhang's Yi Province.

As for Cao Cao's Sili and Yanzhou, they were consistently among the top five in times of peace, but now they are in a terrible state. Yanzhou, with its remaining population of over one million, can at least rank in the top ten, while Sili is probably only able to compete for the bottom spot with Bingzhou, which has only three commanderies left, and Liangzhou, which is constantly in rebellion.

How could a smart person not see this?
The fact that the scholars of Jingzhou have become so agreeable and willing to use their private wealth for public gain is actually because they are eager to invest.

They were eager to invest in the success of the project.

Within Liu Feng's base of operations, Xuzhou was undoubtedly the place where he rose to power, and no one could compete with the scholars of Xuzhou. After all, Liu Bei's first fortune was made with the help of the scholars of Xuzhou, and to this day, Liu Bei is surrounded by scholars from Xuzhou and Yuzhou.

But it doesn't matter if you lose the first credit; there are plenty of opportunities to catch up later.

The capital for catching up from behind is nothing more than money, supplies, and equipment.

The more you invest, the larger your share. Without considering Jiaozhou, Jingzhou is at the bottom both publicly and privately. Not only is it the least connected to the people, but it also has the least seniority and the least contribution.

The scholars of Jingzhou were getting anxious.

They genuinely wanted to show their loyalty to Liu Feng and be utterly devoted to him.

This led to the scholars of Jingzhou actively courting Liu Feng, trying to curry favor with him in various ways, to the point of being somewhat obsequious.

Liu Feng welcomed the Jingzhou scholars with this mindset.

Whether it's entering Sichuan or launching a northern expedition, a massive amount of resources and manpower will be needed.

Don't be fooled by the current dominance of the Liu family, who control five states in the southeast and seem to have the upper hand; this won't last.

Today, the center of China is still the Yellow River, still in the Central Plains.

In terms of the speed of recovery, the Central Plains far surpasses the surrounding areas.

Fortunately, within the past ten years, time has been firmly on the side of the Liu family father and son.

If Yizhou could be brought under their control, the situation would be quite different, especially since the Liu family still holds Yuzhou and Xuzhou. With these two crucial provinces in hand, regardless of who controls Qingzhou and Yanzhou, these two provinces will remain frontline strongholds, never becoming mere bloodsuckers. However, losing Yanzhou and Qingzhou, which are among the top five bloodsuckers in peacetime, would prevent the north from gaining an advantage over the south.

He had in-depth exchanges of views with the scholars of Jingzhou, accepted their offer of service, and made political commitments.

After completing these tasks, Liu Feng set off again, leaving Xiangyang and returning to Yangzhou.

When passing through Xiakou, Liu Feng climbed the mountain to enjoy the scenery.

Looking down at the surging river below and the green plains on both banks, Liu Feng once again had the idea of ​​building a city.

While admiring the magnificent scenery, Liu Feng took stock of his subordinates.

Among those currently under my command who have historical records of building cities are Guan Yu, Lu Su, Chen Deng, Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan, Lu Xun, Lü Meng, Zhang Liao, Liu Fu, and others.

Guan Yu, Lu Su, and Chen Deng were all on important business with Liu Bei and it was almost impossible for them to get away.

Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, Lü Meng, Zhang Liao, and others also had important responsibilities and were extremely busy.

Only Liu Fu and Sun Quan are of use at this time.

Leaving aside Sun Quan, Liu Fu alone was also exceptionally talented.

In the original timeline, the city of Hefei, built by Liu Fu, was the Dragon Gate that Sun Shiwan could never cross in his entire life. Moreover, Liu Fu himself possessed considerable governing ability and his military skills were also passable, making him indeed a good candidate.

Liu Feng then thought of something else. If he were to build a new city in Wuchang in a grand manner, could it provide cover for his later campaign against Shu? Moreover, he could use the construction of the new city as a pretext to legitimately transfer supplies from Yangzhou, and even Yuzhou and Xuzhou.

Liu Feng thought about it more and more and felt that the matter was reliable, so he immediately wrote several letters and sent them to Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Kuai Yue, Lu Xun, Xun You and others, hoping to get their opinions.

Having made his plans, Liu Feng decided to stay in Xiakou for two more days, wandering around and searching for a suitable location to build the city. It wasn't until five days later that he set off again, sailing down the river back to Jiangdong.

After returning to Jiangdong, Liu Feng resumed handling various government affairs.

After taking Jiaozhou, the finances should have been more abundant.

However, due to the strategic plan of attacking Shu, not only was the northward transport of tax revenue and materials from Jiaozhou suspended, but most of the seagoing vessels also had to transfer a large amount of materials from Xuzhou to the south and send them to Jiaozhou.

At the same time, the grain and supplies in Jingzhou could not be diverted and needed to be reserved for the central army.

As a result, the Cui Feng and Wan Lan armies within Yuzhou Province almost entirely depended on Yangzhou Province for support, which immediately increased the pressure on them.

Fortunately, Yangzhou has already been thoroughly purged by Liu Feng from top to bottom. In addition, starting this year, the newly invested counties and fields will have to start paying taxes. Even half tax is better than nothing.

Although the finances are somewhat strained, they can manage as long as there is no major war.

If necessary, one can also seek help from Liu Bei.

Liu Bei has now accumulated a considerable fortune, after all, the entire Xu Province has been free from the flames of war for four or five years.

As time went on, the letters previously sent to Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Xun You, and others received responses one by one, with almost all of them agreeing to the construction of the new Wuchang city.

Wuchang is such a wonderful place, a vital waterway and a thoroughfare connecting nine provinces.

There was no city before, not because this place wasn't important, but because it was underwater before.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, this area was the Yunmeng Marsh, and you couldn't build anything here even if you wanted to. By the time of the Han dynasty, it was a unified dynasty, and although this area did become active, it was far less important than the Central Plains.

Now, Qicheng can not only become a strategic pass on the Yangtze River, connecting the east and west and controlling the river, but also a very important storage point for supplies, which is entirely beneficial.

Having gained everyone's approval, Liu Feng was determined and immediately ordered Sun Quan and Liu Fu to come to Wu County for an audience.

Soon, the two arrived from out of town. Although neither of them knew why Liu Feng had summoned them, they were both secretly excited.

Liu Feng's special summons was quite famous under the Left General's jurisdiction.

Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Lu Xun, Zhuge Jin, Lü Meng, Zhou Bin, and others were all outstanding figures, weren't they?

With these precedents in place, Liu Feng's summons was a highly sought-after event, attracting officials of all ranks under the Left General's command.

(End of this chapter)