My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 612: Trivia before the New Year
In the eighth year of Jian'an (204 AD), Liu Feng spent the New Year in Wuyang City on the front line.

In the past seven years of Jian'an, the Central Plains were peaceful and had a rare year of rest. From Yuan Shao in Hebei to Cao Cao in Henan and Liu Bei and his son in the southeast, no major wars were waged, and the people were allowed to rest. The heavens were also kind, and the weather was favorable. If it weren't for the piles of bones in the fields and the ruins everywhere, it would seem as if we had returned to a time of peace and prosperity.

However, chaos is chaos. Although the Central Plains were peaceful for a year, the southwestern border of the Han Empire was engulfed in war and one major battle after another.

As if to make up for all the battles that hadn't been fought in previous years, there were more than a dozen large-scale battles with more than 50,000 troops in this year, and three mega-battles with more than 100,000 troops.

It wasn't until the end of the year that the various sides temporarily ceased hostilities and rested.

During the New Year's migration, Cao Ang, who was stationed in Luocheng, learned that Liu Feng had arrived in Guangdu and sent Liu Feng New Year's gifts, as well as a letter from Cao Cao.

The gift itself wasn't anything special, but the letter made Liu Feng chuckle.

Just as Liu Feng had predicted, the letter revealed that Cao Cao wanted to replicate the story of Nanyang and demanded that Liu Feng withdraw from Yizhou in the name of the emperor and the governor Liu Zhang.

Liu Feng understood that Cao Cao was merely making exorbitant demands, waiting for him to bargain. He believed that if he were willing to negotiate, even just offering Guanghan Commandery, Cao Cao would likely agree. However, Cao Cao never imagined that he would not only refuse to recreate the events of Nanyang, but would also set his sights on the Cao family itself.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Feng wrote a reply and then summoned his attendant Sun Yi, asking, "Yesterday, General Han Sheng hunted a deer and brought it back to the city as tribute to me. Is the deer still here?"

Sun Yi hurriedly replied, "It's still here. It was buried in the snow after it was delivered yesterday. Does my lord wish to eat it?"

Liu Feng shook his head: "Let's take this deer out and send it to Luocheng along with this letter, and give it to Cao Zixiu as my New Year's gift to him."

Sun Yi was taken aback, but dared not ask any further questions and immediately accepted the order.

Then, a group of people rode out and headed towards Luocheng.

Guangdu is not far from Luocheng, only about 70 or 80 li away, and a fast horse can even make a round trip in a day.

Upon hearing that Liu Feng's reply had arrived, Cao Ang immediately perked up and hurriedly took the letter to open and read it. At this moment, Sima Yi and Yang Xiu were also in the hall. After exchanging a glance, they both turned their gazes to Cao Ang.

The letter was short; Cao Ang finished reading it in just a short while.

After reading it, Cao Ang looked puzzled and fell into deep thought.

Sima Yi and Yang Xiu both noticed Cao Ang's strange behavior, but Sima Yi remained silent while Yang Xiu took the initiative to ask, "My lord, is there anything puzzling in General Zuo's letter?"

Startled by Yang Xiu's question, Cao Ang slowly shook his head and frowned as he replied, "In General Zuo's letter, there was no response to the General's request. He only recounted some ordinary matters. Could it be that there is something I failed to understand about its deeper meaning?"

Sima Yi and Yang Xiu were both startled. Then Yang Xiu spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, I humbly request to see the letter."

Cao Ang didn't mind and handed the letter directly to Yang Xiu, who then opened and read it.

Soon, Yang Xiu finished reading the letter and casually handed it to Sima Yi, who was standing next to him.

Sima Yi was not polite. Although he did not speak, he took the letter and opened it.

After Sima Yi finished reading, Cao Ang earnestly asked, "Both of you are wise and resourceful men. May I ask you to teach me?"

Yang Xiu and Sima Yi both frowned. After reading the letter, they, like Cao Ang, were wondering what Liu Feng was up to.

Cao Cao's letter was not kept secret; Cao Ang had already shown it to the two men and asked for their opinions. Only after Sima Yi and Yang Xiu both nodded did Cao Ang immediately send the letter to Liu Feng's lodgings, who had just arrived in Guangdu.

Therefore, Yang Xiu and Sima Yi were quite aware of the demands Cao Cao made in his letter, and naturally found it strange that Liu Feng avoided mentioning them.

Just a moment later, a glint of light flashed in Sima Yi's eyes, and his lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

But the next moment, he actually shut his mouth again, only his gaze fell on Yang Xiu.

Sima Yi already had some suspicions, but he didn't want to be the first to speak up, so he wanted to wait and see what Yang Xiu would say. If Yang Dezhu could also see through this, he would be happy to let Yang Dezhu speak; if Yang Dezhu couldn't see through it, then it wouldn't be too late for him to speak up later.

Just as Sima Yi had expected, Yang Dezhu suddenly spoke up, asking Cao Ang, "My lord, I wonder if General Zuo brought any other items with this letter?"

Cao Ang immediately summoned his attendants to inquire, and upon learning that there was another deer, he suddenly realized what was going on.

However, he was still somewhat uncertain and asked Yang Xiu and Sima Yi for their opinions.

The latter two immediately confirmed Cao Ang's conjecture—Liu Feng was undoubtedly refusing, and clearly indicating to Cao Ang that next spring, they would compete for control of Yizhou, and only time would tell who would emerge victorious.

Cao Ang was under immense pressure.

He had personally witnessed how Liu Feng established his career and gradually rose to become one of the most powerful warlords in the land.

I recall the first time I saw Liu Feng; he was merely a son of Liu Bei sent to lead the campaigns. Although he was already far superior to me in leading troops independently, the gap between us wasn't as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm.

By the time they met for the second time, Liu Feng had already been appointed Left General, and had even welcomed back the emperor, making great contributions. In terms of both strength and status, he had become a feudal lord comparable to his father.

As the commander-in-chief on this mission to Shu, he was walking on thin ice, trembling with fear.

Previously, Cao Ang had successfully snatched Zhao Wei from the jaws of defeat, which should have greatly boosted his prestige and confidence. However, at the last moment, the Left Guard Army snatched away the most lucrative victory.

Although it was still a great victory, Cao Ang only suffered a minor loss. However, the loss of several hundred elite cavalrymen and the embarrassing forced retreat greatly diminished the reputation that the great victory had brought to Cao Ang.

When Cao Ang delivered the letter, he sincerely hoped that Liu Feng would accept his father's suggestion, even if Liu Feng's asking price was too high, that they could continue to negotiate.

But now Liu Feng's decisive rejection of Cao Cao and his direct challenge to Cao Ang left Cao Ang feeling disappointed, uneasy, and somewhat angry. "My lord," Liu Feng said, "the Left General may have acted impulsively or it may just be a negotiation tactic. He may not truly be rejecting the General's good intentions."

Yang Xiu saw Cao Ang's complicated feelings and took the initiative to comfort and console him, saying, "Besides, even if General Zuo really insists on resorting to force, with us to assist you, our lord has well-trained and brave soldiers and generals, so he may not be afraid of the Left Army."

Sima Yi nodded in agreement with Yang Xiu, but then changed the subject, saying, "However, this general plan was decided by the General. We can prepare for war, but we must do our best to fight before the war breaks out."

After being comforted and reassured by Yang Xiu and Sima Yi, Cao Ang's brows relaxed and a smile appeared on his face: "Dezu, Zhongda, what you two say is very good, I will follow it."

Therefore, Cao Ang ordered the expedited processing of Zhao Wei's prisoners of war, and at the same time sent people to the east of Zitong to meet Cao Ren's troops. Finally, he personally wrote a heartfelt letter and sent it to Guangdu along with gifts.

Liu Feng was somewhat taken aback by Cao Ang's request, but after regaining his composure, he held Cao Ang in even higher regard.

In fact, what Liu Feng did earlier was somewhat insulting, which was of course intentional on Liu Feng's part, in order to provoke Cao Ang.

Unexpectedly, Cao Ang not only didn't fall for the trap, but also calmly wrote another letter to persuade him.

This magnanimity and composure alone are enough to make Liu Feng think more highly of him.

However, despite his high regard for Liu Feng, he was not going to make any further concessions.

Since Cao Ang kindly offered his advice, Liu Feng replied with another letter.

This time, Liu Feng wrote very clearly, demanding that Cao Cao's army completely withdraw from Yizhou, including Hanzhong Commandery. Only in this way can the two sides cease hostilities. If Cao Cao does not comply, then Liu Feng should prepare for a hunt in Shu next year to determine the victor.

Subsequently, Cao Ang sent several more letters, but Liu Feng did not reply, instead focusing on preparing for the war next year.

Taking advantage of the winter truce, Zhuge Liang coordinated the transfer of large quantities of grain, weapons, armor, cloth, medicine, arrows, and other supplies in Jiangzhou, stockpiling them in Guangdu, Wuyang, Nan'an, and Bodao. Meanwhile, the workshops in Wuyang worked day and night to repair armor, forge weapons, and manufacture arrows for the Left Army.

In contrast, Cao Cao's supply lines were temporarily unusable. Although a considerable amount of money, grain, and supplies could still be collected in Guanghan County, the supply of military equipment was completely cut off. The only replenishment came from Liu Zhang's allocation in Chengdu.

However, there were tens of thousands of troops in Chengdu, and they had just experienced a major battle with severe damage to their weapons. How many of them could be allocated to Cao Cao's army?
If the previous raid on Zhao Wei had been a great success, and the Left Guard Army hadn't come to share the spoils, Zhao Wei's tens of thousands of sets of leather armor and tens of thousands of long and short weapons would have all fallen into Cao Ang's hands.

Now that things have come to this, Cao Ang has no time for regret. He can only write a letter to Hanzhong, asking them to stockpile military equipment during the winter and deliver it to the front lines as soon as possible after the spring.

In addition, he wrote another letter to Chengdu, using the Left Guard Army as leverage to coerce Liu Zhang into providing full support.

**
Yecheng, Hebei.

Yuan Shao was also celebrating the New Year at this time, and was in high spirits. He held a banquet in the main hall of Ye City to entertain his ministers.

After the Battle of Qingzhou, under the advice and pressure of the Hebei faction, Yuan Shao changed his course and abandoned his plan to march directly south, opting instead to recuperate and rebuild his strength.

The reason Yuan Shao made this change ultimately boils down to the difference in strength.

The Battle of Qingzhou made him realize that Liu Bei's elite troops were no less powerful than his own, and that Liu Bei had at least 100,000 men, not counting the troops of Liu Bei's son Liu Feng in Yangzhou in the southeast.

If both sides were to go all out, it wouldn't be surprising if Liu Bei and his son brought out an army of 200,000. However, if Liu Bei and his son's troops performed as well as Liu Bei's army did in the Battle of Qingzhou, he might not even be able to defeat Liu Bei alone, not to mention that Cao Cao was watching and profiting from the situation.

Ju Shou used this point to persuade Yuan Shao, urging him to be flexible and adaptable, so that he could recuperate and restore his strength while also appeasing the Hebei faction.

The Hebei faction, exhausted from years of warfare, was overjoyed to receive Yuan Shao's approval and quickly shifted its limited resources from military to production.

For a time, the land of Hebei was vibrant with life, a scene of vitality everywhere. At the same time, Yuan Shao also took advantage of this period to actively prepare for military affairs, producing and stockpiling weapons and armor.

Yuan Shao originally planned to streamline and reorganize his army within six months before heading south.

After the Battle of Qingzhou, Yuan Shao, who had changed his mind, had more time to carry out this work. Now, two years later, Yuan Shao has trained an army of 300,000, including nearly 20,000 cavalrymen, which can be described as well-trained and well-supplied.

Moreover, as Tian Feng said, without the immense pressure he exerted in the north, the alliance between Liu Bei and Cao Cao had already begun to crack.

Two years ago, Cao Cao extorted the territory of Nanyang. Now, according to the reports from his spies, Cao Cao's troops have been mobilized on a large scale, with the clear target being Shu.

At the New Year's assembly, Yuan Shao was thinking that he had been recuperating for more than two years, and that he might try to get moving again in the latter half of the year when the autumn was in full bloom and the horses were fat.

Unexpectedly, yesterday I received an unexpected gift, and the person who gave it was none other than my childhood friend and now my mortal enemy, Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, in the name of the emperor's court, issued an edict to comfort Yuan Shao and at the same time granted Yuan Shao an additional 3,000 households as fief, bringing the total number of households to a terrifying 16,500.

This number already ranks among the top ten fiefdoms during the Han Dynasty.

In addition, Cao Cao also sent many treasures, curiosities, and valuables, including forty bolts of Shu brocade, which were extremely rare in the north and were worthy of being called "gold and jade brocade".

However, none of these are the main event. The most crucial piece of information is a letter written by Cao Cao himself, in which he not only reminisces about the past and cherishes his childhood friendship with Yuan Shao, but also expresses deep gratitude for Yuan Shao's past act of welcoming him to Dongjun.

Finally, he stated that although he was currently in charge of the court's affairs, Yuan Shao was the Grand Marshal and also had the power to assist in governing. If Yuan Shao had any good policies or national strategies, he could not only submit them to the court but also inform him directly, and he would certainly consider and act accordingly.

The contents of this letter made Yuan Shao burst into laughter, finally venting his anger.

It should be noted that ever since Cao Cao welcomed the emperor, appointed him as the Grand General, and formed an alliance with Liu Bei and his son, he has never given Yuan Shao a kind look. He has even issued edicts in the name of the emperor on several occasions to reprimand him, which made Yuan Shao grit his teeth in anger.

Although their relationship didn't turn into a complete enmity like in history, it remained at a freezing point. Even during the Battle of Qingzhou two years ago, Cao Cao was still lurking on the sidelines, plotting to stab him in the back.

(End of this chapter)