My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 652 Dark Clouds over Nanyang
Jingbei, Xiangyang.

On the city wall, Jia Kui was gazing at Fancheng across the Mian River.

Fancheng is a companion city of Xiangyang. Historically, Xiangyang was often referred to as Xiangfan because the two cities were often regarded as one.

Such cities are generally extremely important and fortified strongholds; there is one in the south and one in the north of China.

In southern China, it is Xiangfan, while in northern China, it is Taiyuan.

However, Liu Feng currently only possesses Xiangyang, not Fancheng. The reason is quite simple: the intervention of Cao Cao and the imperial court, and the fact that Xiangyang was acquired without a fight. These two factors forced Liu Feng to temporarily abandon his demand for Fancheng in order to ensure the swift stabilization of Jingbei.

Therefore, the flags of the Left Army were flying high in Xiangyang on the south bank of the Mian River, while the flags of the Cao family's army were flying to the north. Both sides also flew the Great Han Black Flag, making them look like one family.

Gazing at Fancheng on the opposite bank, Jia Kui's calm face concealed a deep unease.

Since last autumn's harvest, Jia Kui discovered something very strange: Cao Cao's army on the other side of the Mian River had not been transporting any grain or fodder.

Both Fancheng and Dengxian are very close to Xiangyang. Fancheng is just across the Mian River, while Dengxian is only five li away from Xiangyang, meaning they can be reached in a day or two, even by fast horse, in less than the time it takes to eat a meal. However, Dengxian is not actually located by the water and is very close to Fancheng, so the two cities actually share a wharf, namely Fancheng Ferry, located on the north bank of the Mian River south of Fancheng.

Not only Deng County, which lacks a wharf, but also all the counties and towns along the Junshui and Danshui rivers, including Shandu, Zhuyang, Yincheng, Zancheng, Wudang, Nanxiang, Shunyang, Danshui, and Xicheng, totaling eleven cities, would have their taxes and grain transported downstream to Fancheng. From there, the taxes would flow into the Mianshui River and head north, passing through Xinye and reaching Wancheng. From there, the taxes would travel along the official road through Yingchuan and finally reach Luoyang.

This year, however, was quite strange. Although shipping on the opposite bank of the river, Fancheng, was still very busy, with hundreds of ships shuttling back and forth on the Junshui, Danshui, and Mianshui rivers, creating a bustling scene and making everything appear perfectly normal, it still couldn't fool Jia Kui's sharp eyes, who spotted the flaws.

Jia Kui discovered that the taxes and grains of the eleven cities and counties south of the Jun River and Dan River were all in gold and rice, and the boats had a very heavy draft. On the contrary, after reaching Fancheng, when they went upstream on the Yu River, the draft became much shallower.

At first, Jia Kui was a little unsure, so he sought out Dong Xi. As soon as Dong Xi took one look, he knew there must be something wrong.

Although they didn't know what the underlying issues were, Jia Kui and Dong Xi did agree on one thing: Cao Cao's army had stockpiled a large amount of supplies in Fancheng.

The Mianshui River basin in Nanyang Prefecture is characterized by extreme polarization.

The six or seven counties near Wuguan Pass were largely abandoned. Although Guanzhong and Nanyang had come under Cao Cao's rule in the past two years, which eliminated the ravages of war and allowed for some development, the lost vitality could not be recovered in just two or three years.

The combined revenue and taxes of all these counties probably couldn't compare to any one of the five counties near Xiangyang.

The problem is that even though the counties in the Dan River basin to the north are in great condition, there are still a considerable number of them. In addition, the counties to the south, which are closer to Xiangyang, are in much better condition than those to the north.

In this way, the eleven counties and towns of Nanyang in the northwest, plus four or five large markets such as Sanhuting and Shangmi Township, are at least equivalent to three or four of the peak Nanyang counties, and the money and grain they obtain are definitely not a small amount.

This doesn't even include the counties and prefectures in the Yushui area.

The accumulation of such a large amount of money and grain in Fancheng is definitely not a good thing.

If we use this money and grain to support the soldiers, it can support at least 10,000 elite soldiers for a year.

This seems incredible. How could just three or four counties support so many soldiers, and these were elite troops capable of field battles, not garrison troops or county soldiers?

However, if you could see a 3D map, you would discover the secret.

Nanyang Prefecture has more than 30 counties, but the real essence lies in the more than ten counties in the Mianshui and Yushui river basins, which form two economic zones with Wancheng and Xiangyang as their cores.

These two economic zones together comprise about sixteen or seventeen counties, roughly 40% of the thirty-seven counties of Nanyang Prefecture, yet they contribute more than 80% of the total tax revenue of Nanyang Prefecture.

Wancheng alone accounts for 30% of this 80%, Xiangyang accounts for more than 10%, and fertile plain counties with abundant water resources such as Rangcheng, Xinye, and Dengxian account for half a percent.

This demonstrates the high quality of the regular taxes levied in the three or four counties in the plains of Nanyang Prefecture, making it unsurprising that they could support nearly ten thousand elite troops.

In other words, Nanyang County has never been peaceful throughout history. First, the warlords of Guanzhong and Liangzhou fought against Liu Biao in Nanyang, and later it became a conflict zone between Cao Cao and Liu Biao.

If Liu Biao could completely control Nanyang and the Wuguan and Fangcheng line, and treat Nanyang as a major rear base, filling it with refugees from the north and farmers who had lost their land in Jingzhou, his strength would at least double in five to ten years.

Having spent more than two years in Xiangyang, Jia Kui had gained a great deal of knowledge about the local geography, economy, population, politics, and other aspects, and he was very clear about the scale of the grain and fodder that the other side could gather.

That is precisely why he is being extra vigilant, especially at this critical juncture.

The task, personally assigned by Liu Feng from within the Left Army headquarters, was naturally of paramount importance. The mission given to Jia Kui and Dong Xi was to travel north from Xiangyang and pacify the entire Nanyang Basin.

The phased objective is to capture Wancheng, the core of Cao Cao's Nanyang army, and dismantle the foundation of Cao Cao's rule over Nanyang Commandery.

The ultimate goal is to capture Wuguan Pass, block the key to entering the Nanyang Basin from Guanzhong, and at the same time attack Yingchuan from Fangcheng, forming a pincer movement with the Cuifeng Army of Yuzhou, echoing each other, and finally occupying all of Nanyang.

This made Jia Kui even more uneasy.

The purpose of Cao Jun stockpiling food and supplies could only be one thing: to launch a military campaign.

Nanyang is located on the edge of the Cao family group, in the border area between Cao and Liu.

Although the relationship between Cao Cao and Liu Bei was relatively harmonious and they had an alliance, it was a chaotic world after all, and warlords and regional governors could turn against each other and fight at any time.

This also means that Cao Cao would never be so careless as to hoard supplies and money in Fancheng. Besides, any savings he had accumulated in the previous two years were immediately transported away. Now that the world is in turmoil, money and food are needed everywhere, so where would there be so much money and food that there's nowhere to use it?

Therefore, the Cao army in Fancheng seemed extremely suspicious. Jia Kui was almost certain that the enemy was likely to strike hard against his own forces first.

Thinking of this, Jia Kui descended from the city wall, returned to the prefectural government, wrote a memorial, included this discovery and situation, and prepared to send it to Liu Feng in Yizhou.

Soon, the letter was written, placed in a bamboo tube, stamped with a wax seal, and sent to Yizhou by a special person.

**
Jia Kui's speculation and concerns were actually quite reasonable, because shortly after he sent the letter, Cao Cao and his tens of thousands of troops had arrived at Wuguan and were continuously pouring into the Nanyang Basin.

Cao Cao divided his army into two groups. One group traveled by water after leaving Wuguan Pass, heading south along the Dan River. They secretly infiltrated the three cities of Danshui, Nanxiang, and Shunyang in the upper reaches of the Dan River, and continued to secretly transfer troops to Zan County, Yin County, and Zhuyang in the lower reaches.

This force numbers approximately 20,000 men, of whom one-third have successfully infiltrated the upper reaches of the Mian River, and 2,000 elite troops have disguised themselves in supply ships and quietly entered Shandu City.

The commander of this route was Yu Jin, whose troops were all elite soldiers, such as Yue Jin, Zhu Ling, and Lou Yi, who were the best of Cao Cao's army.

This mission is extremely important. In the early stages, we need to patiently lie in wait, carefully sneak across, and be very cautious in troop deployment to avoid arousing suspicion from the Left Guard Army in Xiangyang. Later, we need to launch a swift and decisive attack on Xiangyang, aiming for a swift and decisive victory.

Therefore, after much hesitation, Cao Cao ultimately chose Yu Jin as the commander-in-chief, rather than his own kinsman Cao Hong.

This was undoubtedly an unprecedented opportunity for Yu Jin.

If Xiangyang can be captured successfully, Yu Jin will not only be the greatest contributor to this battle, but will also prove his ability to assume the responsibility of the front.

At that time, Yu Jin will not only be the undisputed top general of the Cao family outside the main clan, but will also have the qualifications to lead an army independently, thus having more opportunities and a limitless future.

Therefore, Yu Jin devoted himself wholeheartedly to this mission, fulfilling his duties to the point of being strict, which even displeased Yue Jin at one point.

Don't be fooled by Yue Jin's short and stocky stature into thinking he's a good-tempered person. In fact, Yue Jin has a fiery temper and was always Cao Cao's top general, always leading the charge into battle.

Throughout the entire Cao Wei dynasty, and even throughout the late Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, no one else has achieved more merits in terms of being the first to ascend the mountain than Yue Jin.

In terms of the proportion of battles fought, only a handful of people, such as Gao Shun, could be compared to him. However, Gao Shun and the others either died young or suddenly collapsed, so in absolute numbers, they could not match Yue Jin.

Compared to Le Jin's fiery temper, Yu Jin had a cool and aloof personality.

Although he didn't talk much, he was ruthless in his actions. Whether it was training troops, leading troops, or dealing with people, he always put the law first, so naturally he couldn't see eye to eye with Yue Jin.

Fortunately, both of them were people who understood the bigger picture and considered the overall situation. Although there were some frictions, they did not affect the speed and efficiency of their actions.

Besides Yu Jin's force, another force was the main force personally led by Cao Cao, with a strength of up to 30,000 men.

After leaving Wuguan Pass, the main force changed to a land route, parted ways with Yu Jin's detachment in Shangnan, and headed southwest to Xi County along the official road from Chang'an to Wancheng. Then, it passed through Liguo County northwest of Shunyang and continued southeast, eventually passing through Zhenping and arriving at Wancheng.

Although more than half of this road is in mountainous terrain, it is surprisingly not difficult to travel and can even accommodate large vehicles, making it suitable as a land-based logistical supply line.

However, because the Dan River has limited water volume, only small boats can pass through, and the scale is also limited. Therefore, waterway transportation can only be used as a supplementary means, and the main method is still to transport supplies and food by large land vehicles.

This necessitates the conscription of a large number of laborers, especially at this time of year, which will inevitably cause serious damage to spring plowing, thus affecting the harvest and taxes for the whole year.

However, Cao Cao had no choice but to make this decision. Hanzhong was already exhausted. Even if Cao Cao marched south to Hanzhong and attacked the three passes of Jiameng, he would still need to conscript laborers from Guanzhong, Hongnong, and even Nanyang.

Because Hanzhong can no longer support an army of 50,000 men, its military, civilian, and financial resources have been squeezed to the limit.

Even though Zhang Lu's religious influence was extremely strong, making the people of Hanzhong far more tolerant than in other places, they had already reached a critical point. If this oppression continued, it was uncertain whether Jiameng Pass could be breached, but a rebellion was almost certain to break out in Hanzhong.

Cao Cao mobilized 50,000 troops for this southward campaign, of which Xiahou Yuan's 6,000 men entered Hanzhong first as a feint.

If Xiahou Yuan can successfully lure the enemy out of their hole and thus strike at the forces of Zhou Tai, Huo Du, and Wang Ping at Jiameng Pass, then Cao Cao will continue to send some troops into Shu to cooperate with Xiahou Yuan in attempting to attack the three passes.

On one hand, they were trying to see if there was any chance to capture the three passes and relieve Cao Ang's predicament. On the other hand, they were continuing to draw the attention of the Left Guard Army, thereby concealing and hiding Cao Ang's main force in the direction of Nanyang.

Unfortunately, Zhou Tai held firm and refused to engage, and Xiahou Yuan's attempt to lure the enemy failed. Cao Cao immediately decided to send his entire army south from Wuguan Pass and not enter Shu again.

In this way, Cao Cao's army in Nanyang numbered as many as 60,000, not even counting Liu Biao and Cai Mao in the Yingchuan direction, who would personally lead the remaining 10,000 Jingzhou troops from Yingchuan to Wancheng to join forces with Cao Cao's army.

The commander-in-chief of this route was Cao Cao, and the deputy commander-in-chief was Liu Biao.

In the original timeline, Zhang Ji left Guanzhong and entered Nanyang County via Wuguan Pass, intending to seize Rangcheng County as his base. This was because the counties upstream of the Dan River were devastated, while the counties downstream were adjacent to Xiangyang. He could only bully the weak; the strongholds were the tough nuts he was unlikely to conquer. After much deliberation, Rangcheng seemed to offer the best value. However, despite all his scheming, he ultimately died beneath the walls of Rangcheng.

However, Cao Cao was different from Zhang Ji. At that time, Zhang Ji was facing Nanyang Commandery, which was Liu Biao's territory and was right next to Liu Biao's main city, Xiangyang. Jingzhou was also famous for its navy, which put Zhang Ji in a very passive position and he had very few targets to choose from.

At present, Guanzhong and Nanyang are under Cao Cao's control. Cao Cao will take the Wuguan Road south to Nanyang, and there are strongholds along the way that can provide supplies.

Although the Dan River cannot transport troops on a large scale due to its flow rate and waterway conditions, it has no problem transporting grain and fodder on a small scale. Moreover, it is currently the high-water season, so the transport capacity is obviously even greater.

Therefore, even though Guanzhong and Nanyang had only just recovered some of their strength and were far from their former glory, Cao Cao's supply lines were still able to hold on, and this is the reason why.

(End of this chapter)