My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 673 Post-War Disposal
Huang Quan immediately stepped forward, his expression natural, and respectfully replied, "Your subject is here."

Liu Feng clapped his hands and praised, "Gongheng is truly a valiant and resilient force! On the day of the left flank battle, the army you led was not stronger than Cao's army, and Cao Ren had already prepared for the collapse of the right flank after receiving a message from Cao Ang. Yet Gongheng was still able to crush Cao Ren's forces, allowing only three or so defeated soldiers to successfully escape into the camp. This is all thanks to Gongheng!"

Huang Quan bowed and said, "This is all thanks to the Lord's great fortune; I was merely doing my duty."

"Well done, doing your duty!"

Liu Feng grasped his hand, his eyes filled with admiration, and said, "Today, Gongheng is promoted to General of Valiant Might, and rewarded with 600 yi of gold and 400 bolts of brocade. Gongheng is a man of exceptional talent, capable of serving as both a general and a prime minister. I have long known this, and when we march from Shu to Jing in the future, we will rely on Gongheng's abilities."

Huang Quan prostrated himself on the ground, speaking frankly: "I dare not fail to do my utmost to repay the general's kindness."

Liu Feng helped him up and comforted him. Then he turned his gaze to Sun Ce, who was eager to try, and asked with a smile, "Where is Bo Fu?"

Sun Ce nimbly leaped out and knelt directly before Liu Feng.

Sun Ce is now completely convinced of Liu Feng's authority and has no more thoughts or strength to establish his own independent regime.

Although the generals of the Sun family maintained good personal relationships with the Sun family, they kept their official duties quite separate. Moreover, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and others had already made their own achievements. Even if they still cared about Sun Jian's kindness, they would not rebel against Liu Feng for Sun Ce's sake.

In particular, Liu Feng treated Sun Ce with utmost kindness and righteousness. Not only did he not sideline Sun Ce, but he also entrusted him with important responsibilities. He even took Sun Quan and Sun Yi under his wing to train and cultivate them. Such kindness would be considered shameful by any member of the Sun family, even if they were old subordinates.

"My lord, I obey your command."

Liu Feng stepped forward, pulled Sun Ce up, and patted his arm: "Bo Fu is brave and fierce. In this series of battles, he has firmly held back Cao Cao's cavalry from making any contributions. This morning, he also made a contribution at Luojiapo, killing Niu Jin in battle and capturing dozens of generals and officers, including Cao Ren."

At this point, Liu Feng paused for a moment, then continued, "Now Bo Fu is promoted to Lieutenant General, and awarded four hundred yi of gold and two hundred bolts of brocade."

Sun Ce was not like Lu Xun or Huang Quan, who were generals in their respective regions and had made contributions in those regions. He was also not like Gan Ning, who was Liu Feng's confidant, had seniority, and had great achievements. Therefore, he only received the title of Lieutenant General.

Even so, Sun Ce was quite satisfied, as he was only one step away from becoming a general with a minor title.

Next, Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and even those who had performed only moderately, such as Cuan Yang and Xi Zhen, as well as Liao Hua and Xi Zhen who redeemed themselves through meritorious service, were all rewarded and promoted. Some were made generals, some were colonels, and some were captains. The rewards varied, but everyone received the same honor. In particular, Liao Hua and Xi Zhen were commended for their ability to recover from their previous setbacks and redeem themselves through meritorious service, which moved the two men to tears of gratitude.

After bestowing titles and rewards upon the main generals, Liu Feng turned his attention to the ranks of civil officials.

"Sun Quan, Gu Shao, and Xu Shu, heed my command!"

The three men stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we are here."

Liu Feng laughed and said, "Zhongmou is astute, Xiaoze is good at praising, and Yuanzhi is quick-witted; all of these help to stabilize the morale of the army and clarify the overall situation. You, the military advisors, have made invaluable contributions. As military advisors, you have worked hard on the paperwork, so you are all rewarded with twenty yi of gold and twenty bolts of brocade, and your merits will be promoted twice."

"Thank you, Lord!"

The three bowed. A complex emotion flickered in Sun Quan's lowered eyes, a mixture of joy and longing, but it was quickly replaced by respect. Xu Shu, Gu Shao, and the others were gratified that Liu Feng had acknowledged their frankness.

Finally, Liu Feng's expression turned solemn as he mentioned the crucial turning point of the battle: "The fact that we achieved such a complete victory is largely due to the defection of Generals Wu Yi and Wu Ban during the battle. Their contributions are indispensable. If it weren't for their profound understanding of righteousness and their cutting off of Cao Cao's retreat, our army would likely have captured far more prisoners. Therefore, I hereby recommend Wu Yi as General Who Subdues Rebels and Wu Ban as General Who Praises Brilliance, allowing them to continue commanding their former troops and join our army in our great cause! Further rewards will be bestowed upon them after the conquest of Luozhong!"

Wu Yi and Wu Ban, who had been waiting outside the hall, entered upon being summoned and bowed deeply, saying, "We are defeated generals, but we are grateful that the general has not abandoned us. We are willing to serve him with utmost loyalty!"

The two men knew they were unworthy of their positions, and by the time they defected, the allied forces were already showing signs of decline and were on the verge of collapse.

Although he did lead several thousand soldiers to defect and prevent Jia Xin and Yin Shu from retreating, this achievement was at most just a matter of letting bygones be bygones, and it was hardly worthy of Liu Feng's praise.

The brothers Wu Yi and Wu Ban naturally knew that Liu Feng's praise was just a pretense and not true. Especially after hearing Liu Feng's words, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, and other generals glared at them with hostility, clearly quite dissatisfied.

As a result, Wu Yi and his brother were not pleased by Liu Feng's praise; instead, they were filled with apprehension.

With gritted teeth, Wu Yi and Wu Ban stepped forward and prostrated themselves to apologize.

Wu Yi said in a trembling voice, "We were foolish and foolish in the past, misled by Liu Zhang, overestimating our abilities and resisting the royal army. This was truly going against Heaven's will, and our crimes were tantamount to rebellion. General, you do not hold our past offenses against us and allow us to atone for our crimes through meritorious service. This is already an act of boundless grace from Heaven!"

Wu Ban also kowtowed and wept, saying, "As a defeated general, I am honored to have been taken in by the general. It is like grass and trees receiving spring dew again, or a foolish child reuniting with his parents. How dare I accept the title of 'meritorious official'? I only beg to repent and reform myself in the future, to serve the general and hold his whip and stirrup, so as to atone for my past sins!"

Wu Yi and Wu Ban's attitude was quite respectful and sensible, which not only made Liu Feng nod repeatedly, but also made the generals such as Gan Ning change their attitude and stop staring at the two with hostile eyes.

"Why should you two humiliate yourselves like this? You have already made a contribution by returning to the right side in time. There is no need to belittle yourselves so much."

Liu Feng helped them up: "The troops of Dongzhou still need your two gentlemen to put in a lot of effort to appease them. However, in the future, these troops will eventually be integrated into the Left Army, at which time we will need your support."

Wu Ban hurriedly pledged his loyalty, saying, "General, you have treated us with the kindness of a second life. The soldiers of Dongzhou are fortunate to have met such a wise ruler. I hereby swear that I will do my utmost to appease the troops and await your orders without hesitation."

Subsequently, Liu Feng publicly ordered Gu Shao and others to compile military merits, and then reward them accordingly, including promotions, bonuses, and so on. He also set a grand feast for the entire army the next day to reward the soldiers.

The bestowal of rewards brought joy to everyone.

Liu Feng finally rose, raised his teacup, and addressed all his subordinates, both inside and outside the hall, loudly proclaiming:
"The credit for this battle belongs to all the generals and soldiers! Today's reward is just a token of my appreciation! However, Cao Zixiu, Sima Zhongda, and Yang Dezu have not yet been captured, and the two prefectures of Guanghan and Hanzhong have not yet been pacified. I hope that you will continue your efforts and follow me to lead the army westward, take Fucheng directly, and sweep away the two Sichuan regions."

"We are willing to follow our lord and take Fucheng directly, sweeping away the two Sichuan regions!"

Inside and outside Fancheng County, a thunderous roar resounded, shaking the surrounding area, indicating that the Zuo Mu Army's next target was Fucheng, the last stronghold of Cao Cao's army in Yizhou.

**
Fucheng.

After Cao Ang, along with Sima Yi, Yang Xiu, Cao Gong, and others, left the battlefield, they traveled through the night without stopping and finally arrived in Shifang the following evening.

After hastily replenishing their supplies in Shifang and resting for one night, Cao Ang and his group set off for Fucheng.

That afternoon in Shifang, Sima Yi advised Cao Ang to burn all the supplies stored there. Shifang was a crucial transportation hub for goods destined for Mianzhu and Fucheng, storing over 300,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of various supplies. If these supplies fell into Liu Feng's hands, it would obviously make his forces more abundant and allow him to use his troops more freely.

However, after much deliberation, Cao Ang ultimately declined Sima Yi's suggestion.

While Cao Ang's lack of ruthlessness certainly played a part, the greater reason was that he couldn't bear the consequences.

Although Cao Ang still has Fucheng to flee to, it is clear to everyone that the Cao family in Shu is already at its wit's end. Even if Cao Ang reaches Fucheng, it will be of no use; he will only prolong his life for a little longer.

Cao Ang was young and had a large family fortune, so naturally he didn't want to die. Why would he burn supplies at this time?

If this had happened in Chengdu, it might have been able to reverse the situation, but now it's just a desperate act, which will only anger Liu Feng and the people of Shu, and will not bring any other benefits.

This is the real reason why Cao Ang politely declined Sima Yi's offer. Otherwise, why would Cao Ang have agreed to Sima Yi's plan to set fire to Chengdu?
Seeing that Cao Ang rejected his suggestion, Sima Yi then suggested that Cao Ang gather all the mules, horses, and carts in Shifang City and take them along with the two thousand soldiers in Shifang.

Cao Ang readily accepted this offer.

If Fancheng has fallen, how can Shifang possibly hold out?
Take as many supplies and soldiers as you can, which will also help you hold your ground in Fucheng and wait for the situation to change.

Therefore, Cao Ang ordered the preparation of mules, horses, and carts that very day. Early the next morning, he led more than a hundred carts, more than two hundred mules, horses, and cattle, and more than ten thousand shi of supplies toward Mianzhu.

Upon arriving in Mianzhu, Cao Ang repeated the same tactic, taking away as many of Mianzhu's war supplies as possible.

When they arrived in Fucheng County, Cao Ang's forces had recovered to more than 8,000 men, along with more than 4,000 able-bodied men, more than 300 large carts, and 600-700 mules, horses, and cattle. However, of these 8,000 men, only 4,000 were truly combat-ready; the other 4,000 were merely soldiers from Hanzhong Commandery, troops only fit for defending cities.

Although Cao Ang was worried about Cao Ren's situation in Fancheng, he also faced many problems. The most pressing issue was how to enter the city.

After Cao Chun and his men stormed into Fucheng, the Left Guard Army made adjustments and set up camps to block the passage to the north of the city.

Fortunately, the city had already received the news, and Cao Chun decisively dispatched troops, mobilizing a large army to respond. The Left Guard Army avoided battle, allowing Cao Ang to finally escape into Fucheng.

The reason why the Left Guard Army did not fight was because they received orders from Liu Feng.

A day earlier, Liu Feng had already conveyed the news of the great victory at Fancheng and the subsequent plans to Zhou Yu and He Qi in Fucheng, ordering them not to intercept Cao Ang.

There are currently nearly 20,000 Cao troops in Fucheng. If Cao Ang's troops are added, the total number is close to that of Zhou Yu and He Qi's forces, and their combat strength is also similar. Moreover, Cao's army has an overwhelming advantage in cavalry, whose mobility is even greater than that of the Left Guard Army. Unfortunately, due to the siege, the Left Guard Army is scattered across three camps, giving Cao's army the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

More importantly, during this period, the Left Guard Army cut down trees and built siege weapons, which were all stockpiled in the camp.

If we force our way into battle and are defeated, we may not be able to keep these weapons.

In Liu Feng's eyes, Cao Ang, Cao Chun, and the others were already dead bones in a tomb, and there was no need to risk them further and add variables.

Therefore, under Liu Feng's orders, the Left Guard Army outside Fucheng not only failed to intercept Cao Ang, but also reduced its forces, abandoned the northern camp, and concentrated all its troops and siege equipment in the eastern and southern camps.

After Cao Ang entered the city, upon seeing Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, and Li Zheng, he immediately lost control of his emotions and burst into tears.

Cao Chun and Cao Xiu felt a pang of sympathy when they saw Cao Ang and the others looking exhausted and dejected.

When the group entered the Fucheng County government office and heard Cao Ang recount the Battle of Fancheng, they all felt a deep hatred for Liu Zhang. Had he not abandoned his troops and fled in the face of battle, even if the army had been defeated, the losses would not have been so heavy.

Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, and Li Zheng comforted Cao Ang and encouraged him.

"Fucheng has more than 200,000 shi of grain, plus the supplies brought by Zixiu, enough to supply the army for half a year."

Cao Chun comforted him, saying, "Six months is enough time for the General to find a way to turn the tide."

Cao Ang felt depressed, but he knew he had lost his composure earlier.

After composing himself, he first thanked Cao Chun, and then discussed with the others how to strengthen the city's defenses and buy as much time as possible.

Cao Ang's side wanted to stall for time, while Liu Feng's side was trying to buy as much time as possible.

After resting for a day, Liu Feng held a grand banquet for the entire army the next day to reward the soldiers and record the merits of all the officers and soldiers, which caused the three armies to cheer and be overjoyed.

Afterwards, Liu Feng arranged many other matters.

First, Liu Feng personally led his troops on an eastern expedition, bringing along elite forces from various units including Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, Ling Tong, Lü Meng, Quan Cong, Wen Pin, and Fu Tong. Sun Ce also led 3,000 cavalry eastward to Fucheng, intending to end the war in Shu completely.

Accompanying the army were 8,000 Dongzhou soldiers led by the brothers Wu Ban and Wu Yi, 4,000 Shu soldiers under the command of Huang Quan, and more than 12,000 Shu soldiers under the command of Leng Bao, Yang Huai, and Gao Pei, totaling 40,000 troops.

The remaining troops were handed over to Lu Xun. In addition to the troops of Lü Dai, Cuan Yang, Xi Zhen, Liao Hua, and Xi Zhen, Lu Xun also had to escort the remaining Yizhou army and Cao army prisoners, as well as Liu Zhang, Pang Xi, Cao Ren, and others, back to Chengdu. Lu Xun also had another important task: to send troops to Guandi.

Although there were not many Cao troops left in Guandi at this time, they still had a lot of supplies and able-bodied men stockpiled there, all of whom needed to be incorporated into the Left Army's rule.

Cao Cao's army abducted a total of fifty to sixty thousand able-bodied men from Chengdu, Pixian, and other places.

Now that Cao Ang has fled in panic, even including the able-bodied men from Shifang and Mianzhu, he only took less than 10,000 men with him.

As a result, at least 50,000 able-bodied men fell into Liu Feng's hands. These people naturally needed to be arranged as soon as possible. If he kept them in his hands, Liu Feng would have to provide for their food and drink, which would be a huge expense. It would be better to let them get involved in the resumption of production as soon as possible. This would reduce expenses and also allow for work-for-relief programs.

Sending able-bodied men and the elderly and weak among the surrendered soldiers back to their hometowns for the summer harvest was an important task in restoring local production and social order in Chengdu.

(End of this chapter)