My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 600 Letting Go to Fight for Benefits
He Qi was both surprised and suspicious. He was shocked by Liu Feng's grand vision and gluttonous appetite, but he was also worried about whether Cao Cao's army would really penetrate deep into Shu as Liu Feng thought.

He Qi has the makings of a great general. His battle record shows that he is not only good at training troops and winning with fewer troops, but also particularly good at annihilation battles. Moreover, most of the soldiers he leads are second- or third-line troops.

It is no exaggeration to say that He Qi's abilities are like a beggar version of the Marquis of Huaiyin. He can train troops, but not as well as Han Xin. He can win with fewer troops, but not as many or as strong as Han Xin's opponents. He can fight annihilation battles, but his results are not as great as Han Xin's.

If Han Xin is a top-tier military genius with all attributes above 95, then He Qi is a grandmaster of military strategy with all attributes above 80.

He quickly grasped the full picture of Liu Feng's intentions and considered many issues. The most difficult of these was how to allow Cao Cao's army to penetrate deep into Cao Cao's territory, which He Qi considered quite unwise.

Even with Zhang Lu's support, entering Shu was still an extremely risky undertaking.

He Qi believed that if he were the commander of Cao Cao's army, he would definitely deploy the main force within the territory of Guanghan County to ensure that the main force could be withdrawn to the northern mountainous area of ​​Shu at any time.

In this way, they can consolidate their control over the territory of Guanghan County and establish it as a reliable forward base.

The grain production of Guanghan Commandery and its vassal states was sufficient to support 40,000 to 50,000 troops. With the support of Hanzhong, stationing 50,000 to 70,000 troops would be no problem at all. Fucheng and Zitong were both large and fortified cities, making them very difficult to attack, and they could also support each other.

Once the Hanzhong army and Cao Cao's army gain a foothold, the negative impact of the Qinling Mountains' obstruction will be largely mitigated.

At that time, Cao Cao's army and the Hanzhong army will be able to turn the tables and begin a new round of expansion.

Based on He Qi's considerations, he would inevitably set his sights on Guanghan County. Before taking Guanghan, no matter how weak Chengdu appeared, he would never rashly advance.

After all, Guanghan directly threatens Fucheng and Zitong.

Fucheng is slightly better, as it is located at the eastern end of the Chengdu Plain, and at least there are roads to detour around it.

But Zitong was a completely different story. If it were lost, all the troops west of Zitong would be cut off from their retreat, leaving them with only two options: death in battle or surrender.

As a renowned general, He Qi was already considering defeat before even calculating victory, so he would never make such a basic mistake.

Judging from Liu Feng's words, he seemed quite certain that Cao Cao's army would most likely advance on Chengdu.

"Gongmiao, you may not know this, but Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang have a blood feud involving the murder of their mother and brother. Now that he has the help of the General, how could he not think of taking revenge?"

Liu Feng explained to He Qi, "The General is located in the Central Plains, and Sili and Yanzhou are places of long-term warfare, with the people impoverished and sparsely populated. Now that Hanzhong has surrendered and Zhang Lu has requested to surrender, it has given him the opportunity to reach out and seize Yizhou. Even if he turns against our family and breaks the alliance, he will never give up this god-given opportunity."

He Qi suddenly realized, but doubts still lingered in his mind: "But the General is also a man of military knowledge. How can a mere 20,000 elite troops possibly stop my mighty army?"

Liu Feng laughed heartily, his laughter full of confidence: "The General is a man of exceptional strategy and a suspicious nature, so he will certainly not underestimate us. This time, the 20,000 Cao troops are merely a vanguard to deceive others. If I am not mistaken, the main force of Cao's army has probably already gathered in Guanzhong, waiting for an opportunity to march south."

He Qi was taken aback: "Does my lord know the true strength of Cao Cao's main force?"

Liu Feng estimated, "In my estimation, there are probably around fifty thousand."

He Qi was even more shocked. In this way, the combined forces of the Hanzhong army and Cao Cao's army would directly exceed 100,000. With the transportation difficulties in Guanzhong, it was likely that most of the logistical supplies would have to be supplied by Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu only had Hanzhong. Could he support it?

Seemingly sensing He Qi's doubts, Liu Feng replied solemnly, "Although Zhang Gongqi cannot hold out for long, he can certainly manage to hold on for one or two years."

Liu Feng told He Qi the whole truth about the situation in Hanzhong, and He Qi finally understood.

With a population of 500,000 to 600,000 in Hanzhong, aside from 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers, at least 70,000 to 80,000 able-bodied laborers can be mobilized. In addition, the autumn harvest grain in Guanghan County has also fallen into the hands of Cao Cao's army, so it shouldn't be a big problem to sustain the region for one or two years.

He Qi was completely convinced and immediately volunteered, saying, "My lord, I request to be the vanguard and am willing to conquer Chengdu for you!"

Liu Feng waved his hand. If he only wanted He Qi to capture Chengdu, why would he have said so much to him?

"Gongmiao, I have a greater responsibility for you."

Liu Feng pulled He Qi to the map and emphasized the three locations of Guanghan, Deyang, and Dianjiang: "I want your troops to hide along the Fu River and wait for an opportunity. When necessary, head north to attack Zitong and cut off the enemy's retreat!"

He Qi was taken aback, but his expression hardened immediately: "My lord, rest assured, I will go through fire and water, even if it means my death, to take down Zitong."

"it is good!"

Liu Feng was overjoyed: "Gongmiao, most of your troops are Yue soldiers who are skilled in mountain warfare. The area around Zitong is mostly hilly and mountainous. Only your troops can take on this task, and I can rest assured."

Then, under He Qi's excited gaze, Liu Feng continued, "Xu Chu's five or six thousand men will also be under your command. Within two months, I will transfer all of Su Fei's troops to the Fu River line, also under your command."

At this point, Liu Feng grasped He Qi's hand and solemnly said, "How to defend the Fu River line, how to confuse the enemy, and when to launch an attack are all decisions that you, Gong Miao, should make yourself. I will not interfere. I only want Zitong."

He Qi immediately knelt down and readily accepted the order.

**
Meanwhile, Cao Cao in Guanzhong was standing on the top of Chang'an city wall, watching a steady stream of soldiers march out of the city and head towards Chencang Road in the southwest.

After sending Cao Ang away, Cao Cao immediately began to select elite troops and form a new army to support Cao Ang.

If it's only for Hanzhong, then Cao Ang's troops are sufficient.

As long as they cooperate with the Hanzhong army to defend Baima Pass and Huangjin Garrison, Liu Feng's army will have no chance of entering the Hanzhong Basin unless they can fly.

After receiving a series of reports from Zhang Lu and gaining a better understanding of the situation in Shu, Cao Cao realized that this was a golden opportunity.

Cao Cao naturally wanted to swallow Yizhou whole. If he could truly control Yizhou, he would have the confidence to stand up to Liu Bei and his son, as well as his good brother Yuan Shao.

But reason told Cao Cao that this was undoubtedly an impossible thing.

Therefore, Cao Cao set his sights on Guanghan and Shu Commandery.

Yizhou has eight commanderies and three kingdoms. It's not unreasonable for him to divide it into three commanderies and one vassal state.

Of course it's excessive!

Cao Cao naturally knew that this was actually quite excessive, even more so than what happened in Jingzhou.

No matter how outrageous it is, he will still take it.

In a world of great strife, to not advance is to retreat, to not advance is to perish.

Cao Cao would rather die standing than live on his knees.

However, Cao Cao still hadn't made up his mind to go to war with Liu Feng. He still wanted to subdue the enemy without fighting. He hoped to replicate the scene in Jingzhou. This is the fundamental reason why Cao Ang changed his attitude after clearly gaining military power in Hanzhong and sent his main force south to Shu.

Because Cao Cao needed Guanghan Commandery.

Guanghan Commandery connected Shu Commandery and Hanzhong Commandery.

Only by capturing Guanghan Commandery could Cao Cao have a chance to persuade Liu Zhang to surrender and seize Liu Zhang's existing territory. Otherwise, being too far away to reach him, even if Liu Zhang were willing to surrender, he would not escape Liu Feng's military might.

Cao Cao couldn't help but recall the words Xi Zhong and Jia Xu had spoken earlier.

At that time, Cao Ang had just set off when Xi Zhong and Jia Xu found Cao Cao one after the other.

Both men came to see Cao Cao for one thing: to urge him to fight for Shu.

Cao Cao vaguely remembered that Xi Zhong's words were quite harsh.

"My lord, how do you think the Yuan family and the Liu family, father and son, compare to your current situation?"

Cao Cao did not expect that Xi Zhong would ask such a question as soon as he met him.

Xi Zhong was Cao Cao's strategist and one of his most important confidants.

Even though the words were somewhat harsh, he still replied politely, "Their strength is overwhelming; I am ashamed to admit that we are no match for them."

Cao Cao thought he was being quite gracious, but to his surprise, Jia Xu suddenly chimed in: "In your opinion, General, which is stronger, the Yuan family or the Liu family, father and son?"

Now, with Liu Bei and his sons standing alongside Yuan Shao as two powerful forces, Cao Cao is clearly lagging behind, at least a level below the two leaders. This is not only because Cao Cao's territory is the smallest, but also because his territory is located in the heart of the Central Plains, the region where warfare is most frequent and intense.

Upon closer examination, the power dynamics between the Liu family and the Yuan family have subtly shifted. While Yuan Shao remains the undisputed strongest, the Liu family's strength may actually surpass his. Regardless, either the Yuan or Liu family is more than twice as powerful as Cao Cao.

For a moment, Cao Cao even suspected that Xi Zhong and Jia Xu had conspired to mock him.

However, Cao Cao replied seriously, "Yuan is renowned and occupies the land of Hebei. However, Hebei is in turmoil, and his power may have already been thwarted by Liu Bei and his son."

Xi Zhong and Jia Xu exchanged a glance and immediately knelt down together, saying, "My lord, the Liu family father and son were merely inheritors of Tao Gongzu's legacy, holding the nominal position of Governor of Xuzhou, with actual territory amounting to no more than half of Donghai County and one of Xiapi County. Their sudden rise and prosperity were truly due to Liu Zisheng. Upon closer examination, Liu Zisheng's rise can be summed up in one word."

"What word?"

"risk!"

Cao Cao's heart stirred; the two words spoken by Xi Zhong and Jia Xu truly resonated with him.

Xi Zhong and Jia Xu did not stop there, but instead revealed their true intentions: "Has our lord forgotten that Liu Zisheng was able to take risks to gain power and what happened in Rencheng?"

Cao Cao's face darkened. Although he had extorted Liu Feng for the Jingzhou affair, in reality, Nanyang Commandery wasn't even in Liu Feng's hands at the time; the imperial court and the emperor were in Liu Feng's control. Since Liu Biao had surrendered to the court, it was only natural that Nanyang Commandery belonged to him.

Back then, when Liu Feng extorted the state of Rencheng from him, that was true rogue behavior, utterly devoid of any moral character.

"My lord, now is the time to fight for profit and go all out."

Jia Xu looked directly at Cao Cao and then said something very blunt: "If you win, my lord, Yizhou will be mine, and the world will be divided into three kingdoms."

Cao Cao blurted out, "What if we lose?"

Jia Xu smiled without speaking, but Xi Zhong spoke up again: "If we lose, our lord will suffer a heavy blow. How can Yuan Shao sit idly by and watch the Liu family annex our lord? The situation will change drastically at that time. Although our lord and Yuan Shao have had many disagreements in recent years, their old friendship still exists. At that time, our lord may be able to ally with Yuan to contain Liu."

Cao Cao then suddenly realized the purpose of Xi Zhong and Jia Xu's joint visit.

This was to encourage himself to make up his mind to compete with Liu Feng for Yizhou.

Cao Cao pondered for a long time and had to admit that Xi Zhong and Jia Xu had schemed to the core.

They were the weakest side, but also the most qualified to fight.

If they win, they'll make a fortune and take over the rich and prosperous Yizhou. Even if they lose, someone will cover their losses.

Cao Cao had to admit that he was persuaded by Xi Zhong and Jia Xu.

That is why he changed his attitude and ordered Cao Ang to go south into Shu after obtaining military power in Hanzhong, and also gathered 40,000 troops from various places as reinforcements.

Of the 40,000 troops in Guanzhong, 10,000 were from Yanzhou under the command of General Cao Ren, 10,000 were from Yuzhou under the command of Deputy General Cao Hong, 10,000 were from Jingzhou reorganized by Liu Biao, Cai Mao and others, and 10,000 were from Guanzhong under Zhang Xiu.

Although these troops could not compare to Cao Ang's vanguard of 20,000 men, they were still formidable forces capable of field battles. In particular, Zhang Xiu's 10,000-strong Guanzhong army included more than 3,000 cavalrymen, all of whom were knights from Liang, Bing, and Guanzhong, and their fighting strength was formidable.

In Cao Cao's mind, these 40,000 troops, plus Cao Ang's 20,000 elite troops and Zhang Lu's 40,000 troops in Hanzhong, totaled 100,000.

This is a genuine force of 100,000 men, an elite force composed of no civilian laborers or able-bodied men.

Even Liu Feng would probably be wary of this, right?
Thinking of this, Cao Cao turned to Cao Ren, the general in charge of the expedition, and instructed him: "Zixiao, the purpose of this southward expedition into Shu is to expand our territory, not to start a conflict with Liu Feng. If we can persuade him to make concessions, that would be the best outcome. At that time, we must not be greedy and take advantage of him."

Cao Ren felt somewhat resentful, thinking that Cao Cao had underestimated him.

However, out of trust and respect for Cao Cao, Cao Ren nodded emphatically: "Brother, rest assured, I will keep this in mind. Our bottom line is Guanghan and Shu Commandery. As long as Liu Feng agrees, we will not trespass on any of the other commanderies, not even a little bit."

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction, then remembered something and added, "By the way, Zixiao, if anyone comes looking for you with my General's token, you must do your best to cooperate with whatever they ask."

Cao Ren was startled, realizing that Cao Cao had other hidden tricks up his sleeve, and a sense of anticipation rose in his heart.

Cao Cao's army marched south in a large force, continuing to reinforce troops in Shu. Meanwhile, Cao Cao's special envoy, Sima Lang, had secretly arrived in Luocheng.

"An imperial envoy?"

Huang Quan was already overwhelmed with work. On one hand, he had to pacify the people of Luocheng, and on the other hand, he had to prepare the city's defenses and stockpile supplies to resist the possible desperate attack by Zhao Wei's side. After learning that the Hanzhong army had occupied Mianzhu, he had to devote even more attention and resources to guarding against the threat of the Zhang-Cao allied forces.

He truly did not expect that an imperial envoy would suddenly appear at this time.

However, Huang Quan was no ordinary person after all. He quickly realized what was happening and immediately decided to meet the envoy from Luodu.

(End of this chapter)