My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 679 Post-War Events
Although these hundreds of thousands of men were unarmed, they possessed rich military experience and even considerable organizational skills. If they were to cause any unrest, it would likely bring severe turmoil and destruction to Shu. Liu Feng, who had just conquered Shu, could not afford such destruction; it would severely damage his prestige and influence in Shu.

In dealing with this issue, the most advantageous thing for Liu Feng was to convert these people into garrison troops, and then remove their core members, taking away the bravest warriors and junior officers.

In this way, in just a year or two, these tigers will revert to lambs and resume their status as farmers.

Although Shu has just experienced war, Jianwei suffered almost no losses among the three counties of Shu. Although Shu County suffered great losses, that was mainly for the common people. On the contrary, the middle and upper classes were relatively well preserved.

Only in Guanghan County, due to the hatred between Zhao Wei and Zhang Lu and Shu, their destruction of Guanghan was top-down. Apart from aristocratic families like the Qin family, even powerful local clans could not escape the disaster.

Therefore, after the allied forces surrendered, many unclaimed territories naturally became vacant in Guanghan County.

This was exactly what Liu Feng wanted. Calculations showed that Guanghan Commandery had over 120,000 hectares of farmland at the end of the Han Dynasty. Because it was located in the northeastern part of the Chengdu Plain, it included both mountainous and plain areas.

Plains areas (such as Luoxian and Xindu) have fertile land and are irrigated by the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, with yields as high as three shi per mu. In contrast, mountainous areas (such as Gangdidao and Diandidao) are difficult to cultivate and have a lower proportion of actual arable land.

Based on the Han Dynasty record that "the central land was not cultivated", it is conservatively estimated that arable land in the plains accounts for 60% of the total area, or about 70,000 hectares.

According to the intelligence Liu Feng has obtained so far, the proportion of unclaimed land in Guanghan Commandery is at least more than half, and possibly as high as 60% to 80%. Even using the most basic procedures, this would amount to more than 30,000 hectares of land.

Based on the lower limit of 20 to 30 mu of land per person for military settlements in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the unclaimed land in Guanghan Commandery was sufficient to accommodate 150,000 people, a number exceeding the total number of people who needed to be resettled. Adding the unclaimed land in Shu and Ba Commandery, there was even enough to accommodate 10,000 to 20,000 households of civilian settlements.

Such an important matter should have been entrusted to a trusted confidant, but for the time being, no suitable person could be found in Jing and Yi.

Indeed, Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun both possessed such abilities, as did Xu Shu, Gu Shao, He Qi, and Sun Quan.

But unfortunately, none of them are a good match.

First of all, Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun were Liu Feng's trusted confidants and close associates, and were important ministers who would participate in state affairs in the future. Their current status was already far above that of the Colonel of Agricultural Settlements. This matter could only be considered as an additional title, not as their main position.

In Liu Feng's subsequent overall plan, Zhuge Liang would be recommended to be the Governor of Yi Province, directly taking the position of governor. If it weren't for the fear of excessive favor attracting resentment and sabotage from those who were jealous and malicious, what would Liu Feng be reluctant to give up such a position as the Governor of Yi Province?

This is Zhuge Liang!

However, after much hesitation, Liu Feng only offered him the position of Governor of Yi Province. Moreover, given Zhuge Liang's personality, he would probably refuse the position of Governor of Yi Province in a strong manner.

Lu Xun, as the greatest contributor to this battle, set out from Jiaozhou and traveled thousands of miles to capture Yizhou County for Liu Feng, killing Yong Kai in battle. He emerged from the heart of Yizhou and tied down a large number of Shu troops in Chengdu, preventing them from moving.

He then performed outstandingly in a series of battles, accumulating numerous military achievements, and even served as a regional commander. Logically and emotionally, Liu Feng could not allow Lu Xun to remain in Shu and would definitely take him to Jingzhou and even the Central Plains battlefield.

Therefore, in addition to being promoted to the rank of general, Lu Xun also had to lead an army independently, making it impossible for him to stay in Shu to be in charge of agricultural settlements.

He Qi was tasked with overseeing the defense of the gateway to Shu, recapturing Baishui Pass, advancing towards Baima Pass, and even conquering Hanzhong. The affairs of military farming were complex and required his personal involvement on the front lines, naturally leaving little room for He Qi's attention.

As for Xu Shu, Gu Shao, Sun Quan, and others, although they are capable, they are too young and have no reputation in Shu. If the affairs of military farming are entrusted to them, the results will be much less efficient.

Moreover, there are many talented people in Sichuan. If we entrust all the affairs to talented people from other states, we will inevitably lose the support of the people of Sichuan and it will not be conducive to mobilizing the manpower and resources of Sichuan in the future.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Liu Feng decided to boldly promote and employ the talents of Shu.

Zhuge Liang was appointed Governor of Yizhou to oversee the overall situation. Yang Hong was appointed Prefect of Guanghan, and Huang Quan was appointed Director of Agriculture to manage all matters related to military farming. All personnel were to be recruited and deployed by Yang Hong and Huang Quan themselves.

Any requests can be reported to Zhuge Liang for a decision.

At the same time, the task of reorganizing the Shu army was also entrusted to Zhuge Liang and Huang Quan, and they were each given the authority to lead an army of 30,000 men.

With the wealth of Shu, the administration of Zhuge Liang, and the new economic policies implemented by Liu Feng, Yizhou alone could support an army of at least 100,000 within two or three years.

A mere 60,000 is nothing to speak of.

These 60,000 main troops, plus 10,000 to 20,000 troops from various prefectures and kingdoms, can not only significantly reduce the pressure of land reclamation and thus improve its efficiency, but also ensure the safety of the Shu region.

Once He Qi in the north sees an opportunity, Zhuge Liang or Huang Quan can be appointed as generals to march north and reinforce He Qi. After this army conquers Hanzhong, it can then march north to Guanzhong and completely cut off Cao Cao's retreat route to the west.

Suddenly, Sun Yi stood below the hall and respectfully asked, "My lord, Mr. Gong and Mr. Cheng have arrived."

"Oh?"

Liu Feng stood up and walked to the door himself: "Where have you two gentlemen arrived? Why didn't you inform me earlier? Please come with me to greet them."

As soon as Liu Feng finished speaking, two scholars emerged from behind Sun Yi; they were Gong Yang and Cheng Ji.

Both of them were moved, and they heard Liu Feng's words clearly from behind Sun Yi.

Both men arrived with some trepidation, for their benefactor Zhao Wei had already suffered a defeat and lost power; had it not been for Liu Feng's rescue, he would likely have perished long ago. Now that Liu Feng had completely taken control of Shu, in a sense, Gong Yang and Cheng Ji were no longer of any value to Liu Feng in winning them over.

The two men naturally understood this as well. After being summoned by Liu Feng, they traveled day and night to Fucheng. Before meeting him, they were filled with trepidation, worried that they would be slighted by Liu Feng.

Unexpectedly, Liu Feng remained as warm and respectful as ever, and as a dignified Left General, he personally greeted them.

This respect and favor naturally moved Gong Yang to tears, and the more cunning Cheng Ji was also genuinely touched.

"Ming Gong."

Ignoring the dust outside the hall, Gong Yang and Cheng Ji bowed deeply to Liu Feng.

A satisfied smile curved Liu Feng's lips as he stepped out of the main hall. His clean white silk stockings trod the muddy ground outside without a care, instantly gathering a layer of dust. But this dust on the stockings, however, dispelled the last trace of discontent in Gong Yang and Cheng Ji's hearts, as if their year-long period of idleness had vanished.

“Ziju and Bojiang.”

Liu Feng then grasped one person in each hand and said solemnly, "I previously instructed you two to rest and recuperate, precisely to build up your strength and await the opportune moment. Now that our banners are pointing, it is time to fight. I wish to entrust you with this important task and responsibility. I wonder if you gentlemen are willing to give your full assistance? If we can work together to manage the affairs, then Western Sichuan can be pacified, and the people of Sichuan will soon enjoy benevolent governance!"

Gong Yang and Cheng Ji readily agreed and bowed deeply in gratitude.

Therefore, Liu Feng appointed Gong Yang as the magistrate of Luocheng and Cheng Ji as the magistrate of Qi County. These two places were major agricultural counties in Guanghan Commandery at that time, with the largest population and the most farmland. At the same time, Liu Feng also recommended Gong Yang and Cheng Ji as Agricultural Commandants, each in charge of the military farm affairs in their respective counties, and under the jurisdiction of Yang Hong and Huang Quan.

Gong Yang and Cheng Ji were very excited; Liu Feng's order undoubtedly gave them an unprecedented opportunity.

Despite being trusted by Zhao Wei and serving as his advisors, their actual status was not high.

The Han Dynasty emphasized the rise of generals and ministers, advocating that valiant generals emerged from the ranks and prime ministers rose from the ranks of local officials. Only when one truly ruled a region could one be considered to have entered a period of rapid development.

Especially since the two of them were recommending a county magistrate, who was much better than a county head, and who also held the additional position of military agricultural colony commander in the county, it was a clear case of promoting someone beyond their rank, giving them a high position and great power.

Gong Yang and Cheng Ji naturally understood this point very well. Compared with Zhao Wei's favor, Liu Feng was clearly their true wise ruler and mentor, and they were determined to do a good job in the land reclamation for Liu Feng.

Three days later, news came from Zitong that Li Dian had led his more than 4,000 troops to surrender.

Besides leaving several thousand men to garrison Fucheng and other places and assist Huang Quan's troops in suppressing bandits, He Qi's more than 10,000 men began to advance eastward to Jiameng to spy on Baishui Pass. At the same time, Zhou Yu's more than 20,000 men began to move south, and the surrendered soldiers of Cao Cao's army began to be divided and allocated according to the pre-arranged plan. Ten thousand of the strong and able-bodied soldiers were selected to replenish the losses of various units, and the rest were scattered and mixed with the old and weak of the Shu army and Dongzhou soldiers, and went to various places to settle down.

After the people of Shu are settled and the economy improves, Zhuge Liang and Huang Quan will select the elite and brave to form two new field armies.

However, judging from the current situation, it is unlikely to take shape in the short term and must first undergo a period of rest and recuperation for one or two years. Moreover, from a military perspective, there is no need for it to take shape at the moment.

Because launching a counterattack against Hanzhong from Sichuan would require traversing hundreds of miles of plank roads, making the supply of provisions extremely difficult. Although Sichuan currently has considerable grain reserves, it needs to address the enormous deficit incurred this year.

The fighting that broke out at the beginning of the year has only just ended, which means that agricultural production in major grain-producing areas, including Chengdu and Luocheng, has been greatly affected, and this will inevitably affect agricultural income this year. Adding to this the rations for the hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers, this huge deficit could likely swallow more than half of the stored grain.

In other words, after the war ended, the main force of the Left Army immediately began to move towards Jingzhou, which could at least reduce the monthly consumption of military rations in Shu by more than 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), otherwise the situation would have been even worse.

Two days later, Liu Feng arrived in Guanghan, and Zhuge Liang personally went out of the city to greet him.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Feng recommended Zhuge Liang to be the governor of Yizhou, concurrently serving as military advisor and general, and overseeing all military affairs in Shu.

After a full day and night of in-depth talks with Zhuge Liang, he ordered Lu Xun to go to Chengdu to take up his post. At the same time, he brought Lu Xun an order to transfer his troops eastward along the Yangtze River to Jingzhou. As for Lu Xun's subordinates, including Lü Dai, Fu Tong, Xi Zhen, Liao Hua, Cuan Yang, and Xi Zhen, they remained in Shu and were under the command of Zhuge Liang.

Gan Ning's troops returned west to Chengdu ahead of schedule, just after Zhuge Liang took control of Chengdu, and transported Lu Xun and other troops returning east via the Yangtze River waterway.

With the great battle just over, there are countless trivial matters to attend to.

Fortunately, Liu Feng had a strong team of advisors and experienced veterans under his command. In just over half a month, troops were mobilized in various regions in an orderly manner.

In late July, Liu Feng finally arrived in Jiangling.

**
In June, Cao Cao led 50,000 main troops to the Mian River, using Fancheng as a base, and cooperated with the Jingzhou navy to fight a series of fierce battles with the Zuo Mu army's navy.

Both sides were using medium and small warships. The Left Army had the advantage of superior equipment and elite soldiers, while Cao Cao's army had the advantage of superior numbers.

The tens of thousands of Jingzhou troops brought by Liu Biao, Cai Mao, and others were mostly skilled in naval warfare. Especially in battles involving small and medium-sized warships, anyone with a ship could go into battle; even fishing boats could be used to make up the numbers.

With Fancheng as their base and support, the two sides were evenly matched for a time.

While Cao Cao outwardly used his navy to contend for supremacy, he secretly employed a feint, sending Liu Biao with over ten thousand troops to cross the Bi River at Youju, and using Caiyang and Zhangling on the east bank of the Bi River as their base to invade the Mian River basin south of Xiangyang.

Liu Biao held immense prestige in Jingzhou. Even though Liu Feng had been in charge of Jingzhou for three or four years, many people in Jingzhou rose up in response to Liu Biao's return.

In just three days, the counties of Ruo and Qi changed hands, and the powerful clans and gentry in the cities opened the city gates to welcome Liu Biao into the city.

The following day, Yicheng and Biancheng also declared their defection and joined Liu Biao's forces.

Thus, Xiangyang was cut off from the counties north of Jing by Cao Cao's army, leaving only Zhonglu County nearby.

Fortunately, Zhonglu is relatively loyal and has two thousand Left Army troops stationed there. There has been no change in the situation for the time being. Gao Shun and Du Xi's troops, located in Shangyong County, can maintain contact with Xiangyang through Zhonglu. Otherwise, Xiangyang would have truly become an isolated city.

The situation continued to deteriorate. In just a few days, the counties surrounding Xiangyang had opened their gates and rebelled, and countless villages and towns below surrendered to Liu Biao.

Although Liu Biao constantly suppressed local forces in Jingzhou, he was relatively lenient in enforcing the law and was well-known for his benevolence among the people.

On the contrary, Liu Feng's Left General's office had strict laws and strong control, which naturally led to power conflicts with the local gentry and elders.

Previously, the Left Guard Army was powerful, so these powerful figures and elders naturally dared not turn against it.

Now, not only has Liu Biao returned, but Cao Cao has also led an army of 100,000 southwards, while Liu Feng's main force is deeply entrenched in Shu, leaving Jingbei vulnerable.

These people were short-sighted to begin with, and now they felt it was a golden opportunity. So they jumped out immediately, raised troops in rebellion, and echoed Cao Cao and Liu Biao.

These people not only rebelled, but also did their utmost to supply Cao Cao and Liu Biao's armies with money, food, supplies, manpower, and laborers. This was not because they suddenly became generous or easy to talk to, but because they sincerely and earnestly hoped that Cao Cao and Liu Biao could really drive out the Left Guard Army so that they could restore their power under Liu Biao's rule.

(End of this chapter)