My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 569 Agreeing on a Deal
Following Zhao Wei's orders, Gong Yang set sail again from Jiangzhou, heading downstream to Yangzhou.

The speed of the Yangtze River flowing downstream is far greater than that of going upstream. In addition, Gong Yang was in a hurry. In just six days, he had already passed Pengli Lake. In another day or two, he would arrive in Dantu.

The reason it was so fast was mainly because it was a single-boat trip with extremely luxurious equipment. Not only did it have smooth sailing, but it also had three shifts of helmsmen and oarsmen. The oarsmen were all carefully selected strong men, and they ate well on the boat. The helmsmen were also veteran river navigators who had been sailing the Yangtze River their whole lives and knew the hydrology and water conditions like the back of their hand.

The most important factor, of course, is having a favorable wind and current. With the help of the wind, the boats are faster than arrows, covering 80 to 120 li in an hour. The average daily speed is at least 400 li, and sometimes even 600 to 800 li.

Despite his astonishing speed, Gong Yang's eagerness burned even brighter. He wished he could sprout wings and fly to Wu County to inform General Zuo that he had fulfilled his mission and that the great undertaking was accomplished.

Two days later, the ship arrived in Dantu and was about to enter the canal when it was blocked by the Jiangdong navy.

While Gong Yang was filled with doubt and uncertainty, the ship was led into Dantu Port.

Before they even reached the shore, they could see, in the distance, a wise ruler they had been longing for standing on the dock in Dantu.

As soon as the boat docked, Gong Yang couldn't wait to jump ashore.

However, the harbor was damp, and Gong Yang slipped and lost his footing. Just as he was about to fall, Liu Feng arrived and grabbed his arm, steadying him.

“Ziju, when we parted before, I was very reluctant to leave. I never expected to see you again so soon. I am truly happy and delighted.”

"Ziju, how have you been? Since we parted the other day, I have been sighing with worry about when we would meet again. I never expected that we would meet again before the seasons had even passed, which makes me overjoyed. Hearing that you have come east, I could not stay at home in Wu County. It was as if I was starving and longing for rain. So I took my entourage and came from Wu County to Dantu to wait for you, to renew our friendship, and to welcome you on the shore. This will also quench my thirst for you."

Gong Yang was deeply moved. He was just a minor official in Sichuan, yet he was so kind to General Zuo that he personally came to Dantu to protect him. How could he ever repay such kindness?
Suppressing his surging emotions, Gong Yang respectfully addressed Liu Feng, saying, "General Zuo's kindness is deeply etched in my heart and soul. I would give my life to repay even a fraction of your grace. Fortunately, my lord is wise and insightful, and I have presented my wisdom to General Zuo. I have made a firm decision to follow your will and earnestly request that the royal army enter Sichuan to quell the rebellion!"

Upon hearing that Zhao Wei had agreed to all his requests, Liu Feng was overjoyed. He immediately smiled and helped Gong Yang up, patting the back of his hand and saying, "Zhao Zhonglang's decisive action was a wise move, and Ziju's strategic planning and honest advice are also commendable. I will report your contributions to the court and request credit for Zhao Zhonglang and you."

Gong Yang immediately declined, saying, "What I have done is to repay the kindness of Zhao Zhonglang, the great courtesy of the Left General, and the nurturing of the people of Sichuan. I dare not have any intention of claiming credit."

Liu Feng sighed deeply and looked at his attendants, saying, "Seeing Ziju's virtue today, I finally understand what the ancient sages meant by being indifferent to fame and fortune."

That evening, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for Gong Yang at Yu Dantu's place, and they slept in the same bed together that night.

The next day, Liu Feng personally led Gong Yang on a tour of the beautiful scenery of Jiangdong, and invited talented scholars to accompany him, which can be said to have given Gong Yang a great deal of face.

A few days later, Gong Yang, on behalf of Zhao Wei, negotiated with Liu Feng to raise troops in Jiangzhou in June.

Liu Feng needs to send 15,000 reinforcements into Sichuan, with half remaining to garrison key towns along the coast and the other half following Zhao Wei to advance into Chengdu. At the same time, Liu Feng also needs to provide Zhao Wei with additional military equipment and food.

Half of this support was paid for by Zhao Wei in the form of special products from Ba Commandery, such as cloth, while the other half was a gift from Liu Feng.

This support requires at least 4,000 long weapons, 1,800 short weapons (swords and blades), 200 large crossbows, 400 powerful crossbows, 600 bows, 50,000 crossbow bolts and arrows, 600 sets of full leather armor, 800 sets of leather coats, 300 sets of iron armor, 200,000 shi of grain, 2,000 shi of salt, and 50 shi of sugar.

Once these equipment are provided, it would be enough for Zhao Wei to arm another 10,000 troops. Moreover, the military equipment is of a mid-to-high level in Shu, which can be described as an outrageous demand.

When Gong Yang spoke, he simply stated that the number was entirely negotiable. He only hoped for more food supplies, and that the weapons could be reduced by 10% or 20%, which would be enough for him to explain to Zhao Wei when he returned.

Liu Feng smiled and waved his hand: "How could I put Ziju in a difficult position? So, as Zhao Zhonglang wishes, these supplies will be delivered to Jiangzhou before June for Zhao Zhonglang's use."

Liu Feng wouldn't be stingy with such resources. The Xuzhou workshops can now produce over a thousand sets of iron armor annually, all of them high-quality cold-forged armor. In addition, they can also produce 1,500 sets of lamellar armor annually. While the protective power is slightly inferior to the cold-forged armor, it is still genuine iron armor, and it should be the strongest iron armor of this era.

It was only the emergence of cold-forged armor that forced lamellar armor to become a secondary role.

This doesn't even include the small-scale ironworks scattered throughout various regions. For example, Yizhou County can produce two to five hundred sets of armor annually, provided there is sufficient manpower and raw material supply, including iron ore, fuel, and grain.

The exact amount depends on the supply.

Therefore, Liu Feng is now incredibly wealthy and powerful. Not only does he equip his troops with large quantities of iron armor, but he also sends thousands of sets of lamellar armor to his father every year.

Three hundred sets of lamellar armor were no longer a concern for Liu Feng.

Moreover, Liu Feng hoped that Zhao Wei and Liu Zhang would fight even more fiercely, and that more powerful local landlords in Shu would be eliminated.

When war rages in Shu and the powerful clans are exploited to the point of despair, Liu Feng will then step forward to clean up the mess, in accordance with destiny. This is Liu Feng's true plan.

What do a little bit of military equipment and supplies matter if it leads to a good outcome that suits one's wishes?

Upon hearing that Liu Feng was willing to agree to all of Zhao Wei's demands for his sake, even though Gong Yang was not one to be fickle, he couldn't help but compare Liu Feng to Zhao Wei again and again.

The conclusions reached are completely different.

"However, these things cannot be given away for free, and besides, military equipment and food will still need to be transported north in the future."

Liu Feng pondered for a moment, then continued, "I would appreciate it if you could go back and inform Zhao Zhonglang that the Jiangzhou warehouses and docks need my use."

"This is not difficult."

Gong Yang readily agreed: "General Zuo, you may not know this, but although my lord occupies Jiangzhou, his real wealth is stored in Dianjiang. It is not difficult to ask him to give up the Jiangzhou warehouses and docks."

Liu Feng nodded in understanding. Jiangzhou had already allowed his subordinates to settle there, so compared to that, giving up warehouses and docks was a piece of cake. Moreover, this was to supply him with provisions, so the reason was sufficient and it was indeed not difficult to accomplish.

Subsequently, Gong Yang revealed Zhao Wei's plan. This was not because Gong Yang betrayed Zhao Wei, but because Zhao Wei had instructed Liu Feng to provide some guidance.

Now that Liu Feng is a renowned general, Zhao Wei lacks confidence and naturally hopes to receive Liu Feng's comments or even affirmation.

Zhao Wei's plan was actually quite good. He didn't have any fancy ideas; he just followed a simple and direct approach. He set out from Jiangzhou, marched along the Fu River, passed through Dianjiang, Deyang, and Guanghan, and then abandoned his ships and landed at Fucheng County. He then turned southwest, took a land route, and headed straight for Luocheng, the capital of Guanghan County. After capturing Luocheng, he besieged Chengdu.

This route was indeed the most suitable for Zhao Wei. Although there was a section of land travel, it was not long. Moreover, although Deyang and Guanghan along the Fu River belonged to Guanghan Commandery, they were adjacent to Zhao Wei's hometown, Anhan County (now Nanchong). The three counties were close to each other and could even be considered as fellow townsmen.

Therefore, Zhao Wei also had a high reputation and influence in Guanghan and Deyang. Taking this route would not only save time and effort, but also gain the support of local gentry and powerful families.

In the original timeline, this was indeed the case. Zhao Wei was victorious in the early stages, suppressing Pang Xi and rampaging through the enemy lines until Pang Xi was almost driven to despair.

In over a dozen battles, large and small, Pang Xi suffered defeats all the way from Deyang to Chengdu, yet he never won a single one.

However, Zhao Wei was incredibly incompetent. Despite winning so many times, he failed to weaken Pang Xi's Dongzhou troops, allowing them to retreat safely into Chengdu and become the main force in the city's defenses. In the end, he even staged a comeback, winning a great victory and forcing Zhao Wei into a desperate situation, where he ultimately died in Dianjiang.

Ultimately, Zhao Wei lost because of two things.

The first point is that they failed to take advantage of the opportunity of open field battle to severely damage Pang Xi's Dongzhou troops and then annihilate them.

Not only did they manage to hold off the enemy's resistance, buying Liu Zhang a lot of time, but they also successfully retreated into Chengdu, becoming one of the main forces defending the city. Furthermore, they achieved a great victory over Zhao Wei's army in the counter-offensive, successfully turning the tide of the battle.

The second point is that they could not break through Chengdu, capture or kill Liu Zhang, and achieve final victory, thus accomplishing everything in one battle.

However, for Liu Feng, this was a very good result. He immediately said that Zhao Wei's plan was very clever. The only thing to pay attention to was the last section of the land route from Fucheng to Chengdu. He needed to be careful, especially with the logistics of transporting provisions and supplies. He must not take it lightly, as provisions are the lifeblood of an army and cannot be taken lightly.

Gong Yang immediately accepted the order and promised to return and report to Zhao Wei.

After seeing Gong Yang off, Liu Feng immediately sent the message to Jiangling City in Nanjun, Jingzhou.

Today, Jiangling City has long been transformed into a massive armory, serving as a long-prepared advance base for the central route into Shu, where large quantities of weapons and grains have been stockpiled.

The military equipment, supplies, and food that Zhao Wei requested amounted to only one-fifth of Jiangling's reserves, and could be replenished in just a few months.

As per the plan agreed upon with Zhao Wei, when Liu Feng transported military equipment and supplies to Jiangzhou, Zhao Wei's troops in the preceding counties and river passes would withdraw along with him to join him in Jiangzhou. The defense of these counties and river passes would then be entrusted to Liu Feng's troops.

Liu Feng didn't want to be fooled by Zhao Wei and become a notorious fool in history.

Upon receiving the news, Zhuge Liang immediately made arrangements, intending to appoint Jiang Qin's troops as the vanguard commanders, responsible for transporting weapons, food, and troops, and taking over the defense of counties and passes along the way.

While Zhuge Liang was busy preparing his troops and supplies for entering Shu, the siege in Nanzhong had also entered a fierce stage.

The first place to fall was not Weixian, which was besieged first, but Qielan.

Instead of following the military strategy of surrounding the city from three sides and leaving one side open to allow Zhu Bao and the city's defenders to lose their will to fight to the death, Bu Zhi completely surrounded the city and built a moat around it.

Even though Qielan County is not large, or even quite small, the total amount of work involved was still considerable. Fortunately, Bu Zhi had several thousand laborers with him, and with the help of specialized construction tools, the project was completed in just over half a month.

Zhu Bao, of course, would not allow Bu Zhi to do as he pleased, and sent his elite troops to launch surprise attacks several times in an attempt to interrupt Bu Zhi's actions.

But every time he launched an attack, Bu Zhi would anticipate his moves, and his troops would suffer heavy losses, with the last attack resulting in a complete annihilation.

The loss of over four hundred elite troops was so devastating that Zhu Bao was heartbroken. As a result, he dared not send troops to harass the city again and could only watch helplessly as the laborers from Jingnan carried out construction work two or three miles away from the city.

After the trenches were completed, other engineering equipment was also completed one after another, including eight counterweight catapults and twelve wheeled catapults built under the guidance of the engineering battalion.

When the boulders on the counterweight catapults crashed against the earthen walls, shaking the city towers, everyone in the city, from Zhu Bao to the common people, realized that Qielan could not be defended.

Even so, Bu Zhi did not launch an immediate attack, but instead continued to hurl stones at the ground day and night.

Counterweight catapults target city gates, gate towers, watchtowers, corner towers, and city walls, while ordinary catapults target battlements and ramparts on city walls.

The ground was washed continuously for three days and three nights until the catapult finally broke down due to the excessive load.

At this time, the walls of Qielan City had been completely destroyed, with many sections collapsed.

Only then did Liu Feng's army, commanded by Bu Zhi, begin to charge forward under the cover of powerful bows and crossbows, siege ladders, and seed drills.

By this time, only about two thousand people remained in the city who could still fight back, many of whom were wounded.

When Bu Zhi unleashed yet another trump card, the Ironclad Army, four hundred tall and burly men clad in full iron armor charged forward like invincible monsters, completely shattering the morale of the Lan army.

That afternoon, Qielan City fell, and by evening, Zhu Bao surrendered in the prefectural government office.

At this point, the Han-populated areas of Zangke Commandery were connected, and the Han troops from various parts of southern China could finally support each other.

However, after conquering Qielan, Bu Zhi did not take any further action, but instead began to repatriate his army.

Apart from the 3,000 troops from Nanhai Commandery at headquarters, all other troops were withdrawn. After all, transporting supplies to the south was inconvenient, so saving even a little bit would save a lot of effort by the time they reached Jing and Yang provinces.

In addition, after calming the hearts of the people of Qielan, Bu Zhi began to organize manpower to build water conservancy projects and repair roads.

As these policies were implemented, the local people became more settled and were happy to contribute their labor to the Han army in exchange for food and cloth.

(End of this chapter)