My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 611 Winter Truce
"Chengdu is a fortified city with high walls and deep moats. Liu Jiyu has been inheriting his father's legacy for ten years. Although he is not a powerful ruler, he is kind and benevolent and has never oppressed the people. The people of Sichuan still remember his virtue. Now we are stuck under the walls of this strong city. Our troops are exhausted and weary. Even if we launch a strong attack, we will not be able to take it quickly and will only suffer losses. It would be better to temporarily halt our advance, conserve our strength, and wait for the warm spring next year before making another move!"

Liu Feng was very tolerant of Gan Ning. Under the envious gazes of Sun Ce, Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and others, he explained, "Cao Zixiu has secretly made peace with Liu Jiyu, and Cao's army is stationed in the new capital. Next spring, there will surely be a great battle. At that time, you will all make meritorious contributions, be ennobled and appointed as generals. Why rush it now?"

Upon hearing that a major battle was imminent next year, the generals all showed expressions of satisfaction and no longer clung to the idea of ​​retreating.

After the banquet, all the generals left to chat with their friends and relatives.

Sun Ce left with his two younger brothers, while Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, Feng Xi, Xi Zhen, Fu Tong and other generals from Jingzhou traveled together, and they might even hold a separate banquet.

Lü Meng and Ling Tong, being close friends and both former military officers serving Liu Feng, naturally became a couple.

As for Huang Gai, Lü Dai, and other veteran officials of the Sun family, in order to avoid suspicion, they did not leave with Sun Ce, but instead returned to their own headquarters to rest.

Liu Feng kept Lu Xun behind for a private conversation. After everyone else had left, Liu Feng led Lu Xun to the back hall.

"My lord, there is something I could not tell you before."

Lu Xun took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Liu Feng: "This letter was written by Yang Hong in the city and was just delivered to the camp a few days ago."

"Oh?"

Liu Feng was a little curious. Zhang Song and Yang Hong had already sent Fa Zheng and Meng Da to look for him. Had something else suddenly happened?

Liu Feng took the letter, unfolded the silk, and carefully read through it.

After reading it for only a moment, Liu Feng suddenly burst into laughter, turned to Lu Xun, and asked, "Boyan, have you read this letter?"

Lu Xun nodded. He had been fully authorized by Liu Feng to take command of the front lines, so he naturally had the right to open and read such letters. Otherwise, if something unexpected happened, sending them to Jiangzhou and waiting for Liu Feng's reply would be too late.

The letter was written by Yang Hong of Jianwei, and it contained two things: a declaration of loyalty and a reminder.

Needless to say, Yang Hong and the Yang family of Jianwei reported that they were willing to serve Liu Feng and were absolutely loyal.

The second interesting thing is that Yang Xiu, who served as a military advisor to Cao Ang, came from the Yang family of Guanzhong, which was known as the most prestigious family in the world. His family had already produced four generations of high-ranking officials. Yang Hong of Jianwei, on the other hand, came from the Yang family of Hongnong.

Therefore, after Liu Zhang had already submitted to the emperor, whether it was Yang Xiu's own idea or Cao Ang and Sima Yi's idea, he secretly wrote a letter to Yang Hong, not only trying to win him over in the letter, but also hoping that Yang could use his family's special status in Wuyang City to incite a rebellion and seize the city during the decisive battle between Cao Cao and Liu Zhang.

Yang Hong's clan, the Yang family of Jianwei, was the most prominent clan in Jianwei and the largest and most powerful clan in Wuyang City. They had a thousand soldiers and their influence extended throughout Wuyang City. Many soldiers in Wuyang County had received favors from the Yang family.

If the Yang family were to truly go all out, it would be easy for them to incite a rebellion of several thousand people within Wuyang City, regardless of whether they could capture it.

The importance of Wuyang is self-evident; if Wuyang were to switch sides, the Left Guard Army's retreat would be cut off. At that time, the Left Guard Army would be in a similar situation to Zhao Wei's army before, or even worse.

With the Allied forces pressing in from the front and Wuyang cutting off their supply lines from behind, the situation was dire.

Once the food supplies run out, the entire army will be wiped out.

At that time, Cao Cao's army could take advantage of the situation to sweep across the Chengdu Plain. Even if they couldn't seize the entire Yi Province, it wouldn't be too difficult to reclaim the three counties of Shu. In addition, after the great victory, they would swallow up the elite surrendered troops of the Left Guard Army, and Cao Cao's strength would inevitably increase significantly, truly achieving a tripartite balance of power with Yuan Shao and Liu Bei.

Judging from this ruthless tactic, it's highly likely that it was Sima Yi's doing. Before meeting Zhuge Liang, Sima Zhongda was known for his fierce and aggressive nature, but after Zhuge Liang's death, Sima Yi immediately reverted to his aggressive and aggressive personality.

Liu Feng clicked his tongue, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Boyan, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Lu Xun was clearly prepared, and immediately replied, "Yang Hong was able to tell me the truth, so he is trustworthy. However, the garrison in Wuyang next year should not be underestimated."

Liu Feng nodded slowly. He understood what Lu Xun meant. No matter how trustworthy Yang Hong was, the Yang family of Jianwei had the ability to do so, so they naturally had to be on guard.

Lu Xun continued, "In my opinion, this matter may not be a bad thing. My lord can hold back for the time being."

Liu Feng became interested and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Lu Xun explained, "Cao Cao uses cunning tactics because he knows his strength is far inferior to ours, so he does not try to win by conventional means but by surprise. However, I now know about this plan, so in my opinion, we might as well turn the tables on him."

"What a brilliant example of turning the tables on me!"

Liu Feng laughed heartily: "I was worried about how to deal with Cao Cao's army if we went to war next year and they avoided battle. I didn't expect Sima Zhongda to provide me with such a good solution."

Lu Xun laughed as well; he knew Liu Feng would guess his thoughts. The two of them had the same idea: to use Sima Yi's plan to instigate a rebellion in Wuyang to lure Cao Cao's army into a decisive battle. However, this plan could only be a backup for now. As the saying goes, "Military tactics are ever-changing, like water without a fixed shape," adapting to circumstances and responding flexibly is the true principle of warfare.

If we were to actually use this backup plan, we would need to adjust it according to the specific circumstances at the time. However, for now, we can put a potential backup plan in the works.

Liu Feng instructed, "Boyan, since that's the case, then I'll entrust the Yang family's affairs to you. Tell Ji Xiu to take good care of himself and not to take any risks. I will be of great use to him in the future."

Yang Hong, courtesy name Jixiu.

In the original timeline, this local powerful clan leader was the first meritorious official of the Shu Han dynasty to propose that men should fight and women should transport supplies.

After Liu Bei's defeat at Baidi, Huang Yuan, the governor of Hanjia Commandery (formerly Shu Commandery and now Shu Kingdom), wanted to rebel. At that time, Chengdu was undefended, and Zhuge Liang was on his way to Baidi City to visit Liu Bei.

Huang Yuan had already captured Linqiong County on the edge of the Chengdu Plain, which was only a little over a hundred miles from Chengdu. The only obstacle in front of him was the city of Jiangyuan.

Yang Hong was not only loyal to Liu Bei and his son, but also honest and upright. He was also skilled in both literature and martial arts, and had exceptional talent. Liu Feng was reluctant to lose such a talent, so he specifically instructed him to take good care of himself and keep him for the future.

After discussing official business, the two chatted casually. Liu Feng listened to Lu Xun's experiences in the south and his suggestions on governing the south. They then talked about the great battle in Shu and Liu Feng's massive strategy of swallowing up the Cao family.

They talked until late into the night before turning off the lights and resting. That night, Liu Feng persuaded Lu Xun to stay in the back room, and the two slept in the same bed.

**
In the following days, Liu Feng began to adjust his troop strength.

He first appointed Lü Meng as the main general, leading Ling Tong and Fu Tong with 8,000 men to garrison Guangdu. He also transported the siege weapons he had previously built into the city for safekeeping, and burned those that could not be brought into the city. The rest of the army, including Gan Ning and Huang Gai, withdrew to Wuyang to spend the winter.

Subsequently, troops were dispatched to Gangwon.

At this time, Jiangyuan was an empty city with no Shu troops inside. After receiving the intelligence, Liu Feng appointed Wen Ping as the main general and led Feng Xi and Xi Zhen with 8,000 men to Jiangyuan, where they stayed for the winter.

Next, Liu Feng ordered Gan Ning and Huang Gai's two armies, totaling 12,000 men, to be stationed in the county ports of Guangdu, Jiangyuan, Wuyang, Nan'an, and Bidao, as well as the two independent ports of Pengwangju and Yufujin, to spend the winter.

The reason for this arrangement was that the Left Army had a large navy, and it was necessary to arrange not only personnel but also the berthing of the ships.

Although Wuyang City has a large port, it cannot accommodate thousands of ships. Therefore, the ships can only be dispersed and stationed in various ports as much as possible.

At this time, the Left Army had a total strength of over 63,000 men, of which Lu Xun's troops numbered 50,000 and Liu Feng's reinforcements numbered over 13,000. Thus, only the main force of over 35,000 men, led by Liu Feng, were actually stationed in Wuyang.

Wuyang City was the seat of Jianwei Commandery. Although it was not as large as Chengdu, it was the only city in the south that could rival Jiangzhou and was capable of accommodating tens of thousands of troops.

The existing military barracks in Wuyang City were enough to house more than 10,000 soldiers, and with the addition of vacant civilian houses, there was enough to accommodate more than 20,000 people. With proper deployment and new construction, an additional 10,000 people could be accommodated.

Finally, if there are still soldiers who cannot find housing, setting up tents in the open space of the city is much warmer, more comfortable, and safer than being in the wild.

At this time, the cold winter was not conducive to combat, which was just the right time to absorb the strength of Zhao Wei's troops.

However, Liu Feng was also well aware that in the winter of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when there was no large amount of cotton and cotton-padded coats, unless there was an urgent reason that could not be delayed, the losses during the winter would be considerable.

He did not intend to train troops in winter; he merely hoped to educate Zhao Wei's men through the soldiers accompanying him and the officers of the Left Guard Army.

We should wait until next spring to consider reorganizing and training these personnel, and at the very least, integrate them into the Left Army system. Otherwise, these forces will not only fail to provide assistance but will also become a serious burden.

Coincidentally, while the Left Army was withdrawing for the winter, the Allied Forces were also withdrawing. Xindu City was a small county, far inferior to Chengdu and Wuyang, and even to Guangdu.

Therefore, on Sima Yi's advice, Cao Ang left only 3,000 men in Xindu, while the main force withdrew to Luocheng for the winter. Although the allied forces had suffered losses, they had also captured nearly 10,000 Zhao Wei's soldiers, who needed time to be trained and integrated.

Cao Ang, Sima Yi, and others had ideas very similar to Liu Feng's. However, they did not have the unique system of soldiers accompanying the army that was unique to the Left Guard Army. Nevertheless, they were still able to use primitive methods to integrate the surrendered soldiers.

For a time, the war-torn Chengdu Plain was blessed with a rare period of peace in the winter.

The vast majority of people were unaware that the coming spring would likely bring even more intense warfare; they simply celebrated the arrival of the new year and wished for favorable weather, peace, and prosperity for the country.

When Cao Ren led his 30,000-strong army out of the mountains and arrived at Fucheng, the entire Shu region was completely at peace. As the weather grew colder and continuous snowfall began to close the mountains, the logistical advantage of the Left Army became undeniable.

The Zuo Mu Army's fleet could conveniently and quickly transport resources from various parts of Jingzhou to Jiangling by waterway, and then assemble into a fleet there to sail up the river and deliver grain and supplies to Jiangzhou.

Then, after being dispatched by Zhuge Liang, they were sent to the front lines by water.

Not to mention food and military equipment, even winter supplies were extremely abundant.

While the Left Guard army was able to use coal for heating within the various cities, the allied soldiers still had to send out troops to cut down trees and gather firewood for cooking and warmth. Furthermore, the allied army's supply lines were completely cut off by heavy snow, forcing them to rely solely on local food supplies to sustain themselves. They even needed Liu Zhang to transfer money and provisions from Chengdu so that Cao Ang could reward the entire army at the New Year.

Because of this, the military leaders in Chengdu were quite dissatisfied. Whether it was Wu Yi and his brothers from Dongzhou, Pang Xi and others, or Zhang Ren, Huang Quan, Liu Gui, Leng Bao and others from Shu, they all felt that Liu Zhang was too weak.

There are still 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers in Chengdu, and nearly 10,000 troops under Huang Quan outside the city. Their strength is even greater than that of the combined forces of Cao Cao and Zhang Fei. Why are they so humble and subservient, trying to win people over with money?

If the high-ranking military leaders complained like this, the lower-ranking officers and soldiers below them were even more resentful.

However, Liu Zhang refused to listen. He had placed all his hopes on Cao Cao's army and was afraid of offending Cao Ang, which would cause the allied forces to retreat. He insisted on transporting large amounts of wealth, cloth, salt, wine, meat, and grain to Luocheng to supply Cao Cao's army.

Although Liu Zhang had done his best, Cao Cao's army showed no gratitude whatsoever.

Although the officers and soldiers of Cao's army did not openly complain, they all spoke ill of Liu Zhang for being petty.

They felt they had traveled two thousand miles, a long journey from the Central Plains to Shu to fight for Liu Zhang, and had recently defeated Zhao Wei's rebel army, which was a great achievement that saved Liu Zhang from dire straits.

But Liu Zhang only sent such a small amount of money, grain, wine, and meat, and it was only sent close to the New Year. Was he trying to send a beggar away?

To be fair, Liu Zhang actually sent quite a lot of supplies. After all, he was trying to curry favor with Cao Ang at the time, so how could he possibly have the heart to treat him poorly?

However, Liu Zhang had already consumed a lot of money and grain by rewarding the Shu army and the Dongzhou soldiers several times. Now that the New Year was approaching, Liu Zhang could not leave nothing behind, even though he had tried his best. After all, the soldiers in Chengdu also needed New Year's rewards.

Therefore, although the supplies sent were considerable, they were far from enough to distribute among the more than 40,000 Cao soldiers and an equal number of Hanzhong soldiers.

Left with no other choice, Cao Ang could only prioritize supplying his own troops, allocating at most a portion to the 6,000 most elite soldiers in Hanzhong. As for the other Hanzhong troops and ordinary instructors, he could only increase their rations as a reward.

The Hanzhong army was naturally very dissatisfied with this distribution, and even Zhang Wei felt that Cao Ang's actions were somewhat excessive.

Although Yan Pu mediated, the effect was minimal.

Although the three allied forces did not turn against each other because of this, it certainly created a rift.

(End of this chapter)