My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 588 Strategic Mobilization
Logically speaking, where would Zhang Lu get the capital to expand into Sichuan?
Hanzhong is indeed a strategically important place, surrounded by natural barriers, but its size is simply too small.

The arable land area of ​​the Hanzhong Plain is only about 20% of that of the Chengdu Plain (i.e., the three prefectures of Shu) and 10% of that of the Guanzhong Plain.

In terms of population, even in the Guanzhong region at present, the population is still higher than that of Hanzhong. However, a large part of the population is not under Cao Cao's control, but is controlled by warlords such as Han Sui and Ma Teng of Xiliang, as well as the powerful local strongmen of Guanzhong.

Not to mention the economic situation, Guanzhong was in decline, Shu was hostile, and after the loss of trade, Hanzhong's economy was not good.

According to Liu Feng's estimate, Hanzhong could only support an army of 50,000 to 70,000, but there were many places that needed to be defended. To the east, it needed to defend against the threat from Shangyong; to the north, it faced pressure from Guanzhong; to the south, it was threatened by the various barbarian tribes of Micang; and to the west, it was directly attacked by Shuzhong and Longyou.

Even if the garrison forces in these four directions were reduced to a minimum, Zhang Lu could only muster 20,000 to 30,000 mobile troops. The combat strength of the Hanzhong army was among the lowest in the entire late Eastern Han Dynasty, and it could only compete with the weak Shu army under Liu Zhang.

What leverage did Zhang Lu have to dare to interfere in Shu?
Putting everything else aside, Zhao Wei's army alone was enough to completely defeat the Hanzhong army in open battle.

Liu Feng's gaze involuntarily fell on the north side of Hanzhong. Could it be that Zhang Lu had surrendered to Cao Cao?
Liu Feng's ability to think of this was not due to superhuman intelligence, but rather to the help he gained from a modern perspective and historical experience.

From Liu Feng's perspective, he would often focus on the overall situation rather than a single point. Moreover, being familiar with the Three Kingdoms period, he knew very well that the Hanzhong regime, from top to bottom, was close to Cao Cao in the north.

Because of his blood feud with Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu himself had no affection for the descendants of the Han dynasty, and even harbored deep resentment towards them.

After Liu Bei conquered Yizhou, he actively tried to win over Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, but Zhang Lu's response was extremely cold.

On the contrary, when Zhang Lu heard that Cao Cao had swept through Guanzhong and was preparing to march south to Hanzhong, he decided to surrender without even fighting. If it weren't for Zhang Lu's younger brother Zhang Wei's unwillingness to accept defeat and his insistence on fighting, Cao Cao could have obtained the entire Hanzhong region without bloodshed.

From a historical perspective, Zhang Wei's efforts nearly saved the Han Dynasty, but he ultimately succumbed to fate.

Therefore, Liu Feng easily suspected the collusion between Zhang Lu and Cao Cao.

If Zhang Lu did indeed join forces with Cao Cao, then Hanzhong would no longer have to face enormous pressure from the north. In this case, Zhang Lu could mobilize at least 50% more troops, and if necessary, even double them.

The Hanzhong army must have had a mobile force of 30,000 to 40,000 men. No wonder Zhang Lu was so confident that he dared to set his sights on the gateway to the Three Shu regions.

Liu Feng already had some ideas on how to deal with the changes in Hanzhong, but the specific strategy would depend on how things went in Hanzhong.

However, some preparatory work can already begin.

"Xiaoze, write this down."

Liu Feng summoned Gu Shao from the outer room and then instructed him: "Pass on my orders, appointing Gao Shun as the commander-in-chief, ordering all troops to march north to Xiangyang immediately, and then infiltrate Shangyong County. Also appoint Pang Tong as the military advisor, to advise on military affairs and offer strategies. Furthermore, appoint Du Xi, the prefect of Shangyong, to oversee the army's provisions and supplies, to inventory the granaries, and to ensure that food and weapons are transported continuously along the roads. Upon receiving my orders, we will advance on Hanzhong the very next day."

At this point, Liu Feng paused for a moment, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "If there is any change in Hanzhong, you can make your own decision and report back later."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shao couldn't help but look up at Liu Feng.

Unexpectedly, before things had even calmed down in Shu, their lord still couldn't let go of Hanzhong.

"Issue another order."

Liu Feng, however, did not notice Gu Shao's subtle movements and continued to say to himself, "Order He Qi's troops to enter Shu immediately and assemble in Jiangzhou within a month."

Liu Feng first arranged for Gao Shun to be sent to Shangyong.

After more than half a year, Shangyong has stockpiled a large amount of grain, fodder and military equipment. In addition, the previous battles did not cause any damage to the people and local facilities, so it is easy to conscript 10,000 to 20,000 laborers.

With these foundations combined, even though the westward advance would be extremely difficult, it would be enough to support 10,000 to 20,000 elite troops in a campaign that would last for half a year. Moreover, once the battle for Shangyong begins, Jia Kui's forces in the Xiangyang war zone will inevitably provide support, allowing them to hold out for even longer.

If Zhang Lu really dares to continue sending reinforcements to Jiameng, Liu Feng wouldn't mind just raiding his base.

As for the threat from Cao Cao, it is not the same as it used to be.

Previously, Liu Feng was worried that Cao Cao would side with Yuan Shao, but after several years of recuperation, even Liu Bei's army's equipment had been significantly improved, not to mention Liu Feng's own troops.

In addition, the surrender of Jiaozhou brought Liu Bei and his son Liu Feng abundant maritime trade products, as well as a large amount of rice.

Most counties in Jiaozhou have high temperatures and abundant rainfall, with most fields yielding two harvests a year, and a quarter of the fields yielding five harvests in two years. In the Red River Plain of Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen counties, the miracle of three harvests a year can even occur.

In the past two years, Liu Feng has continued to increase investment in Jiaozhou, sending a large number of iron farm tools, curved plows, and oxen and other farm implements and laborers there. Kuai Yue also built water conservancy projects and dredged rivers in the area, which has led to a 30% increase in the grain output of the entire Jiaozhou.

Starting from this autumn harvest, the amount of grain that Jiaozhou can transport to the north each year should be more than 2.5 million shi (a unit of dry measure).

Of these, two million shi were taxes, while the remaining hundreds of thousands of shi were surplus grain purchased by Liu Feng from the people of Jiaozhou in the name of the General's Office.

Most of these surplus grain purchases were transported over in the form of northern specialties, such as white sugar, snow salt, sesame oil, iron pots, and cloth, which accounted for the majority of the trade. The remainder was settled with cash such as wuzhu coins, gold, and silver.

Therefore, although hundreds of thousands of shi of grain were collected, the burden on Liu Feng's government and the people was not significant. On the contrary, it promoted economic ties between the north and south and increased Jiaozhou's affinity for the Central Plains.

In addition, the suppression operations in Yangzhou, Jingzhou, and Jiaozhou were a great success. They not only stabilized the southeastern rear and increased production and tax revenue, but also liberated tens of thousands of elite troops who were suppressing the rebellion in the south. Along with the elite young men conscripted from the Shanyue, Jingman, and Baiyue tribes, they were transferred north, which directly expanded Liu Feng's mobile forces several times over.

At present, Liu Feng's regular army has exceeded 250,000, and their treatment has been greatly improved. Even the monthly salary of ordinary soldiers has increased to 200 coins, half a bolt of coarse cloth, a peck of coarse salt, and two bushels of grain.

There are also additional rewards during the festivals, the amount of which varies.

However, unlike other warlords, Liu Feng's army strictly prohibited the arbitrary rewarding of soldiers when going to war. The reason, of course, stemmed from Liu Feng's own attitude. He firmly believed that rewarding soldiers before battle would lead to bad habits in the army, and the lessons of the late Tang and Northern and Southern Song dynasties were extremely profound.

Even so, don't think that this salary is small. It's no exaggeration to say that this is the highest military salary in the world at that time.

In the original timeline, during the heyday of the Cao Wei dynasty, when Cao Rui was in power, the annual salary of a low-ranking soldier in the Cao Wei central imperial guards was only a few hundred coins, two bolts of coarse cloth, and twenty-four to thirty bushels of grain.

To support their families, the soldiers had to procure coarse salt themselves.

This is why Cao Wei soldiers were lavishly rewarded every time they went to war; their regular wages were simply too low. Even with this treatment, they were already unmatched throughout the Three Kingdoms period, and aside from the Shu army during Zhuge Liang's time, they were far superior to the armies of Shu Han and Eastern Wu.

As for the later Jin Dynasty, which was a unified dynasty that surpassed Cao Wei in achievements, the treatment of its imperial guards was even more meager than during Cao Rui's reign. One wonders if these imperial guards regretted helping the Sima family seize the throne from Cao Wei.

This is truly a case of me helping you get to the top, and you using my savings to cut costs.

Currently, Liu Feng's army has two Class A corps-level combat units: the Vanguard Army and the Tide-Sweeping Army, as well as five Class B corps-level combat units: Jia Kui, Gao Shun, Zhou Yu, He Qi, and Kuai Yue. The former, at full strength, has 30,000 men and 2,000 men. Originally 30,000, each unit is now equipped with an additional 2,000 Mountain Yue battalion, totaling 64,000 men.

The latter is a scale of 20,000 people, totaling 100,000 people.

The navy also has nine captains' units, totaling 54,000 men.

In addition, there were tens of thousands of independent troops led by Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, Pang Tong, and Lü Meng, plus the 6,000 personal troops of Liu Feng led by Xu Chu, bringing the total army to 260,000 to 270,000.

In addition to these elite field armies, tens of thousands of county and prefectural troops were also established, most of which were in the four prefectures of Jingnan and the prefectures of Jiaozhou.

The main reason for this consideration is that Jingbei and Yangzhou already have a large number of field armies stationed there, so they do not need too many county and prefecture troops. However, the four prefectures in southern Jingzhou, the prefectures in Jiaozhou, as well as the southern part of Kuaiji and Yuzhang, are remote and inaccessible, and there is no time to mobilize troops in a hurry. Therefore, it is necessary to equip them with a certain number of county and prefecture troops to maintain local security and stability.

Otherwise, if something happens, troops would have to be transferred from the Central Plains, and the roads are so far, it's really not worth it. Moreover, the treatment of county soldiers is a level lower than that of field soldiers. Apart from the rewards for festivals, it's basically only enough for the county soldiers to have enough to eat. They are issued two sets of uniforms every year, and the expenses are much less than those of field soldiers. The cost of maintaining these troops is even less than the cost of transferring troops several times.

With such a strong military force, even with 100,000 troops deployed in Shu, Liu Feng was no longer as afraid of the pressure of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao joining forces as he had been two years earlier.

In addition to the surge in military strength, Liu Fengjun's geographical advantages have become increasingly prominent.

After stabilizing the Xiangyang front, Liu Fengjun was able to concentrate his forces in the central battlefield to defend Xiangyang, greatly changing the previously dangerous situation of having his heartland vulnerable.

The entire Yangtze River is now under the control of Liu Feng's army, which also has a large navy, making it extremely convenient for them to provide support. In terms of both cost and efficiency, their troop mobility far surpasses that of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

The capture of Shangyong secured the flank of Xiangyang.

The capture of Jiameng Pass effectively blocked the passage for the Hanzhong army and even Cao Cao's army to enter Shu.

Even if the fighting in Shu was fierce, as long as Liu Feng's army held Jiameng Pass, Zhang Lu and Cao Cao could only look on with envy and could not cross the line.

Most importantly, both Jiameng Pass and Xiangyang are strategically important locations that are easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Liu Feng can station a small number of elite troops in these two locations and then adjust his mobile forces as needed.

Under such a strategic situation, the initiative in the war would undoubtedly be in Liu Feng's hands, while Zhang Lu and Cao Cao, who seemed to be on the offensive, actually had no strategic initiative at all and could be easily led by the nose by Liu Feng, or even find a weakness and strike them dead.

As for the Central Plains battlefield, although Yuzhou has flat terrain and a wide tactical width, it is easy to be attacked by enemy forces. Xuzhou is also easy to attack but difficult to defend, and its wide front has no natural defenses. It can only rely on a few hilly areas and strong cities for defense.

However, Liu Bei and his son also amassed a large number of elite troops here.

Liu Bei's forces alone numbered over 100,000 in Xuzhou and Yuzhou. Liu Feng also deployed his two most elite armies, the Cui Feng and Wan Lan armies, totaling 64,000 men, on the plains of Yuzhou. This included over 60% of Liu Bei and his son's elite cavalry and over 90% of their armored cavalry.

Let alone Cao Cao, even if Yuan Shao's entire army came, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything to Liu Bei and his son.

This doesn't even include Zhou Yu's troops currently stationed in Xiakou.

Zhou Yu's 24,000-strong force now assumes the important role of a strategic reserve. It can travel north along the Mian River to reinforce Xiangyang, or go down the Yangtze River to reinforce Yuzhou via Hefei and Shouchun. It can also go up the Yangtze River to enter Shu, making it a vital pillar of stability.

It was precisely because of Zhou Yu's presence that, even after realizing that Cao Cao had become involved in the affairs of Hanzhong and Shu, Liu Feng still did not hesitate to transfer Gao Shun's troops to Shangyong and immediately ordered He Qi's troops to enter Shu.

Moreover, if necessary, the remaining troops under Kuai Yue, along with some county troops from Jiaozhou and Jingnan, can be ordered to march north.

These troops may be somewhat weak in field combat, but they are more than sufficient as defensive forces. In this way, another 20,000 to 30,000 fresh troops can be immediately put into battle.

So, Liu Feng still had a reserve force of 50,000 to 60,000 men that he hadn't moved, so he was naturally very confident.

From the moment Liu Feng prepared to enter Shu, he no longer worried about Cao Cao turning against him.

The scene is reminiscent of the time in Jingzhou, but the underlying situation has actually changed dramatically.

When Liu Feng was at the gates of Xiangyang, he had no choice but to accept Cao Cao's strategic blackmail.

But times have changed. If Cao Cao still hopes to replicate his victory in Jingzhou in Yizhou, he will likely be quite disappointed. Forget about extorting the lands of Shu; even Hanzhong, which is close to him, would have to ask Liu Feng for permission to safely take it over.

If Cao Cao is sensible and can restrain himself, Liu Feng, even with his greatly increased strength, will not want to break ties with him for the time being.

(End of this chapter)