My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 608: Night meeting with filial piety
The two were both young talents, skilled in military strategy, especially Fa Zheng, who possessed ingenious plans. Before long, Fa Zheng raised his head first, his eyes filled with shock. Clearly, Fa Zheng had already guessed some of Liu Feng's overall strategy.

As the art of war says, "To take, first give; to retreat, advance." Only if one wanted to annihilate the allied forces on the Chengdu Plain would such a golden opportunity be missed, and one would sit idly by and watch Chengdu remain unconquered.

Compared to Fazheng, Mengda was far inferior. After seeing Fazheng's reaction, it took him a moment to realize that the difference between the two was quite obvious.

Fa Zheng couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that Your Excellency would have such a desire to devour the entire Shu region."

Liu Feng burst into laughter: "The General has gone to great lengths, traveling thousands of miles to Shu to compete with me for Yizhou. How can I bear to let him make a wasted trip?"

Fa Zheng and Meng Da's pupils contracted slightly. If they were just guessing before, Liu Feng's words now confirmed their thoughts.

After a short while, Fa Zheng spoke up: "My lord, the General is based in the Central Plains, a place of constant warfare. He must have many elite troops and strong generals under his command. This time, when he enters Shu, he will go all out because of your reputation."

At this point, Fa Zheng paused, seemingly observing Liu Feng's expression. His words were clearly a damper on Liu Feng's enthusiasm, so he was naturally worried about Liu Feng's reaction.

Meng Da, standing to the side, changed his expression slightly twice.

The first time I was shocked that Fazheng dared to speak frankly and directly; the second time I was shocked that Fazheng had learned to read people's expressions when he spoke.

Meng Da and Fa Zheng had been friends for many years and had become close friends since Meng Da entered Shu. Meng Da naturally knew Fa Zheng's temperament and personality very well.

Fa Zheng was not only strong-willed, but his mouth was also the most likely to offend people.

To put it nicely, it's called being outspoken; to put it bluntly, it's just being unrestrained in one's speech.
There was a reason why the scholars of Dongzhou ostracized Fazheng.

After all, in terms of family background and reputation, Fa Zheng's grandfather was a great Confucian scholar in Guanzhong, and his father was a trusted confidant of the Three Dukes. This was much more prestigious than the eunuch route that his own father took.

Just as Meng Da was thinking about how to smooth things over, he heard Liu Feng speak.

"If Xiaozhi has any thoughts, he can speak freely."

Upon hearing this, Fa Zheng could no longer hold back and immediately launched into a long speech: "My lord, the General is trapped in the Central Plains and has no way to extend his reach. Now that Yizhou has changed and Zhang Lu has surrendered, it is truly a golden opportunity. Therefore, I believe that if he does not enter Shu, so be it; but if he does enter Shu, he will go all out. My lord must not treat him lightly."

Liu smiled and nodded slowly, giving Fa Zheng a lot of encouragement.

He immediately continued, "Zhao Wei's uprising has shaken the three Shu regions. Hanzhong seized the opportunity, broke through Baishui Pass, captured Jiameng City, passed Tianxiong Pass, and entered Zitong and Fucheng. Their advance was unstoppable and their momentum was overwhelming. It is evident that Zhang Gongqi's desire to seize Shu is very strong, and he has used considerable strength. Now that Zhang Gongqi has submitted, the General's troops will surely receive Zhang Gongqi's full assistance when they enter Shu from Hanzhong."

"In that case, the General's supply route is probably not as long as you think. Moreover, Guanghan is one of the Three Shu regions, rich in resources and fertile land, and pays tribute of hundreds of thousands of shi of grain every year. Although it is now a scourge of the Zhao traitors, it should not be underestimated."

At the height of his passion, Fa Zheng rose from his seat, stood on the platform, and bowed, saying, "If Your Excellency intends to conquer Sichuan, in my opinion, you should act quickly. If you allow the General's main force to enter Sichuan, there may be unforeseen circumstances."

Liu Feng rose and returned the greeting: "I have long heard of Xiaozhi's outstanding talent and ability. Today, having heard Xiaozhi's insightful views, I know that the world has not deceived me. I will carefully consider your heartfelt words."

Immediately afterwards, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for Fa Zheng and Meng Da, and had Gu Shao, Xu Shu, Sun Quan, Sun Yi and other civil and military officials accompany them.

For a time, both host and guests were delighted.

However, when Meng Da went back to his room to rest, Fa Zheng was quietly asked to leave.

When the attendant opened the cabin door and invited Fa Zheng inside, he looked up and saw Liu Feng holding a candle and standing in front of an exquisite map.

"Xiaozhi is here?"

Hearing the commotion behind him, Liu Feng turned around and saw Fa Zheng. He smiled and waved, saying, "Come closer."

Fa Zheng was both shocked and secretly pleased. Given this situation, it wasn't hard for Fa Zheng, with his intelligence, to guess that Liu Feng was showing him special favor and wanted to meet with him alone.

Fa Zheng immediately obeyed and walked to Liu Feng's side, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It's late and the wind is cold. Although you are concerned about the affairs of the country, you must take care of your health."

Liu Feng actually greatly admired Fa Zheng.

Throughout Yizhou, Liu Feng didn't have many admirers; you could probably count them on two hands.

However, the top three among them were Huang Quan, Fa Zheng, and Zhang Song.

If Huang Quan's merits were solely due to his talent and character, then Zhang Song's merits were due to the gratitude he owed to the Liu family for serving them for two lifetimes, while Fa Zheng's merits were both, plus their compatible personalities.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei were actually very similar in some ways. Many people only know that Cao Cao was very fond of Guan Yu, giving him gold when he mounted his horse and bestowing upon him a title when he dismounted, showing him the utmost favor. Many people also know that Cao Cao was very indulgent towards Guo Jia, and Cao Cao's respect for Xun Yu is also well-known.

However, the subordinate outside the official family who ranked first in Cao Cao's heart was actually surnamed Liu, named Bei, and styled Xuande.

Liu Bei was appointed Governor of Yu Province by Cao Cao, and he was also appointed General of the Left by Cao Cao. He was the first general under Cao Cao to be appointed as a regional commander and lead troops into battle. Not to mention generals from outside the Cao family, even generals from the Cao clan such as Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan did not have this honor.

Cao Ren was arguably the most capable commander under Cao Cao, but he was often only assigned to a secondary force. His experience in leading troops independently only came after the Battle of Red Cliffs, when Cao Cao retained him in Jingzhou as the highest military commander of the Jingxiang war zone.

However, Liu Bei, under Cao Cao's command, had already become the highest military commander of the Yuzhou war zone before the Battle of Guandu, and he was in charge of both civil and military affairs.

Ultimately, Cao Cao saw his own reflection in Liu Bei. In a sense, his fondness for Liu Bei was a fondness that projected his own aspirations onto him.

Liu Bei was able to receive this honor because he was too much like Cao Cao.

Both men aspired to serve their country and were committed to restoring the Han Dynasty when they were young. Even their hobbies were quite similar.

Leaving aside his love of fine food, fine clothes, and riding horses and dogs, in terms of talent, Zhuge Liang is almost like an alter ego of Xun Yu, Fa Zheng is like Guo Jia, Pang Tong is like Liu Ye, and Xu Shu is like Xun You (P1).

In this respect, Liu Feng was exactly the same as Liu Bei, and he greatly admired Fa Zheng, Xu Shu, and others.

As for Meng Da, although he is talented, he is too opportunistic and avoids harm.

Liu Feng believed that Meng Da would likely not dare to betray his cause under his command, but how could he possibly like Meng Da's fickle and opportunistic nature?

How can one confidently share their plans with the other party?

That's why we had this private meeting tonight.

Liu Feng smiled and thanked Fa Zheng for his concern, then raised the candle and said, "Xiaozhi, this painting is a treasure of mine. You may take a look."

Fa Zheng was deeply moved. He hadn't expected Liu Feng, a general of the Left, to hold a lamp for him. If such a thing were to spread, it would surely make scholars throughout the land look on with envy and yearn for it. If it were anyone else, even if Liu Feng insisted, they would have declined. But Fa Zheng was no ordinary person. He immediately complied and actually began to examine the map by the candlelight in Liu Feng's hand.

It would have been fine if he hadn't looked, but once he did, even Fa Zheng, with his deep-seated composure, was greatly shocked.

This was not only because the map was extremely well-made, far more exquisite than any map he had ever seen, but also because it marked the distribution of the Left Guard Army, as well as intelligence and speculation about the deployment of Cao Cao's and Yuan Shao's armies.

This intelligence is top secret; if it were leaked, it would be a huge loss for the Left Army, and could even lead to catastrophic consequences.

But Liu Feng actually set it up directly and even personally held up a lamp to show Fa Zheng.

"Ming, Ming Gong..."

Even with Fazheng's exceptional eloquence, he was speechless at this moment.

Liu Feng's attitude was quite amiable, and he asked with a smile, "Xiaozhi, with your foresight, have you seen anything?"

Upon hearing this, Fazheng quickly gathered up his jumbled thoughts and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the journey.

Fa Zheng was well aware that his answer would largely determine Liu Feng's opinion of him, while his close friend Meng Zidu had already been eliminated in the first round during the day.

"M-Ming Gong...?"

Fa Zheng stared at the map, his expression growing increasingly grim. Even Fa Xiaozhi, known for his audacity, began to tremble. There was only one reason: Fa Zheng had uncovered a colossal conspiracy.

Liu Feng smiled and said, "Xiaozhi, you figured it out?"

Liu Feng's words actually confirmed Fa Zheng's guess from another angle. Even with Fa Zheng's courage, he couldn't help but swallow several mouthfuls of saliva.

Fa Zheng originally thought that Liu Feng wanted to swallow up Yizhou, but he did not expect that what he considered a risky plan was just the beginning of Liu Feng's overall scheme.

"Your Excellency has such lofty ambitions; I am truly ashamed of my own inferiority."

Fa Zheng felt as if a raging fire was burning in his heart, and what ignited this fire was the map in front of him and Liu Feng.

Based on Fa Zheng's strategic acumen, it is not difficult to see that the Grand General's strategic situation is the worst, even extremely dangerous.

Cao Cao seemed to be doing well in name, controlling four provinces: Sili, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Jingzhou. Judging by his reputation alone, he was in no way inferior to Yuan Shao and Liu Bei and his son.

Now, they have captured Hanzhong and Guanghan, gained two more counties in Yizhou, and even nominally surpassed Yuan Shao's four provinces.

However, the two sides were still far apart in terms of substance. Cao Cao only controlled a little over one commandery in Yu Province, which consisted of most of Yingchuan Commandery plus the influence derived from the tax revenue of Chen State.

Of the seven commanderies and kingdoms under Sili, only the three that he truly controlled were Henan Yin, Hongnong, and Jingzhao Yin. He did not control Hedong, Henan, Zuo Fengyi, or You Fufeng.

The two commanderies of Hedong and Hanoi were in a better position; at least they nominally submitted to Cao Cao, and he was able to collect some money and grain from them.

The situation is quite different in Zuo Fengyi and You Fufeng. Han Sui and Ma Teng occupy these two places, and it's hard to even get nominal submission, let alone money and grain. Moreover, if these two Liangzhou warlords want to expand, their main target will inevitably be Jingzhao Yin and Hedong, both of which are Cao Cao's territories.

Not to mention Jingzhou, which only had the deteriorating Nanyang Commandery.

Although it was once the best in the world, with a prefecture that was worth a province, after decades of war, even though Liu Biao tried his best to restore the people's livelihood and economy, it now only had two or three-tenths of its former strength.

The only province that could be considered to be entirely under its control, Yanzhou, was actually missing Rencheng Kingdom. Don't underestimate Rencheng Kingdom; although it was not large, it was extremely strategic and a key strategic location in the Central Plains.

Cao Cao had always wanted to reclaim this territory, not only because of its strategic importance, but also because as the ruler of Yan Province, he naturally had the responsibility to control the entire province.

Unable to reclaim Rencheng Kingdom, his prestige in Yanzhou was like a wound, slowly bleeding away.

But how could Liu Feng possibly give in?

Unless Cao Cao offers enough incentives in exchange, but the benefits Cao Cao can offer are not enough to sway Liu Feng, and the benefits that might sway Liu Feng are ones he simply cannot give up.

Therefore, the issue of Rencheng State remained unresolved, eroding the relationship between Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

The biggest problem was that almost all of Cao Cao's territories fell under Liu Feng's sword.

Liu Feng's elite troops in Yuzhou, the Duifeng and Wanlan armies, were practically right in front of Cao Cao's waist. Once the war started, the two armies would march north from Yuzhou, using Chen and Liang as their forward bases. The connection between Cao Cao's Sili and Yanzhou would be in danger of being cut off at any time, and Luoyang in Sili would be exposed to the attack of the Left Guard Army.

The Nanyang Basin is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but Xiangyang is in Liu Feng's hands. From Xiangyang northward, the core basin of Nanyang is flat and indefensible, so they can only retreat to Fangcheng.

Yuan Shao to the north was no different; his threat to Hanoi was like a mountain pressing down on it, and he could swallow up Hanoi and even Hedong at any time.

Cao Cao's only chance of survival was to enter Shu.

Unlike Liangzhou, Shu was sparsely populated and economically backward. Its grain production was insufficient to even feed the local population. Apart from having more soldiers and warhorses, Shu had almost no other advantages and was instead riddled with disadvantages.

Compared to Liangzhou, Shuzhong was rich in resources and had a large population. It had not experienced much war and remained intact. Geographically, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it formed a separate entity with Hanzhong and Guanzhong.

Once Cao Cao conquers Yizhou, his strategic situation will improve significantly. He will not only be able to extract large amounts of wealth, food, military equipment, livestock, and other supplies from Yizhou, but also gain access to millions of registered people.

Most importantly, Cao Cao would have the confidence to make a tough decision if necessary, abandoning Yanzhou and retreating into Guanzhong.

When Emperor Gaozu founded the Han Dynasty, his base of operations consisted of Guanzhong and Yizhou.

Although losing Yanzhou was like losing an arm, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for Cao Cao.

In this way, he could concentrate his forces, shorten the defensive line, and with all sides being easy to defend and difficult to attack, he could calmly watch Yuan and Liu fight each other and reap the benefits.

The problem is, Cao Cao's idea was indeed good, but how could he know that others would sit idly by and watch him succeed?

Whether Yuan Shao agreed or not, Fa Zheng did not know, but he was certain that Liu Feng not only disagreed, but had also laid a trap, waiting for Cao Cao to walk into it so that he could swallow up the Cao family in one fell swoop.

(End of this chapter)