Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 131: Discussion with Fa Zheng, Liu Feng's Ambition
Although history records that Cao Pi launched three-pronged attacks on Wu only after the Battle of Yiling, the future had already taken a turn after Sun Quan was expelled from Jingzhou.

Even Liu Feng could not predict when Cao Pi would get angry and head south.

Born in sorrow, die in happiness.

Xincheng County was located at the junction of Han and Wei.

Even the Qizhongyi knew how to seek benefits and avoid harm, so Liu Feng naturally did not dare to take it lightly.

During this brief period of truce, Liu Feng had to stockpile as much food and fodder, repair armor and weapons, and build fortifications as possible in Xincheng County in order to cope with future uncertainties.

Originally, among the four counties of Shangyong in Xincheng County, the one with the largest population, it was more reasonable to place the seat of government in Shangyong.

Taking into account that the Yi people in Jingshan would move to Fangling, and that the Yi people in Luzhong would also move to Fangling this year, Liu Feng decided to set up the seat of Xincheng County in Fangling County after discussing with Deng Fan, Yu Fan and others.

in this way.

It has Shangyong as its gateway in the west, Jingshan as its barrier in the east, Wudang Mountain as its barrier in the north, and it is connected to Zigui in the south. If you go downstream, you can directly take Zhuyang in Nanxiang County.

Advance to attack, retreat to defend.

Although Liu Feng had never governed a local area before becoming the prefect of Xincheng, he kept in mind Liu Bei's advice: be respectful to the wise and humble, promote more knowledgeable and pragmatic people, and do not rely on your status to look down on the wise men.

In addition, Yu Fan, a five-official official with many years of local experience, sorted out the various officials in Xincheng County for Liu Feng, such as the chief clerk, the chief recorder, the Shaofu, the supervisor of thieves under the Menxia, the chief of the gate, the scribe, the circulator, the official, and the minor historian.

As well as the Household Cao, Bi Cao, Shi Cao, Tian Cao, and Shui Cao who are in charge of civil affairs, the Cang Cao and Jin Cao who are in charge of finance, the Ji Cao, Cao Cao, and Fa Cao who are in charge of transportation, the Bing Cao and Wei Cao who are in charge of military affairs, the Zeicao who is in charge of public security, the Jue Cao and Ci Cao who are in charge of judicial affairs, the Xue Guan who is in charge of education, and the Yi Cao who is in charge of health.

and many more.

Liu Feng was also glad to have recruited Yu Fan.

Otherwise, Liu Feng himself would not be able to understand such a complicated setup of various officials.

Although Deng Fan was talented, he was only good at handling the relationship between Han and Yi people in Xincheng County, and he had never served in a county before.

Asking Deng Fan to build the system of officials and departments in Xincheng County would be like forcing someone to do something he/she is not capable of.

It was precisely because Liu Feng standardized the deployment of various officials in Xincheng County in a short period of time that the knowledgeable and pragmatic people in Xincheng County saw the potential prospects of Xincheng County.

It's like joining a startup.

If the management of a startup company is chaotic and it looks like a small workshop, people with real talent will not go there.

But if this startup company is well managed and can be seen as a big deal, talented people will flock to it.

The same is true.

There was a constant stream of scholars coming to take part in the interviews in various official departments.

Liu Feng also promoted some people from among his retainers who were not talented enough but loyal enough.

Liu Feng has always been generous in rewarding loyal people.

Before going to Jiangling, Liu Feng kept three hundred guests in Fangling. During the months of war, rumors continued to spread and more than half of these three hundred guests ran away.

Among the remaining hundred or so diners, some had nowhere to go, and some insisted on following Liu Feng.

Liu Feng selected a group of people with strong wills and assigned them to various counties to serve as minor officials in the counties and townships and as spies.

Although Xincheng County is small, it has nine counties and a population of more than 100,000.

Liu Feng did not dare to be so arrogant as to think that more than 100,000 people in the nine counties would be loyal to him.

A few days later.

Meng Da and Fa Zheng came from Shangyong.

During this period.

Meng Da actively tried to win over the local powerful families in Xincheng County and went all the way to Xicheng, the westernmost city.

The reason why he was so diligent was that Meng Da found that he had no hope of being in charge of Jingzhou.

Guan Yu took back Changsha and Guiyang counties and obtained the intact Lukou and Xiakou. His great achievements in expanding the territory were enough to make up for the great crime of losing Jiangling. With such merits, Liu Bei would not transfer Guan Yu away from Jingzhou.

Naturally, it was not Meng Da's turn.

As long as the result is to expand territory, losing Jiangling in the process will seem insignificant.

In addition, Liu Feng's reputation in Jingzhou was too high after this battle, so even if Liu Bei really wanted to transfer away from Jingzhou, he would let Liu Feng replace Guan Yu.

Jingzhou was even more impossible for Meng Da.

Therefore.

That's why Meng Da dragged Fa Zheng to travel around Shangyong, Xicheng and other counties.

The general meaning is: My good brother is the Shangshu Ling, supporting me is supporting your future.

however.

Just when Meng Da thought he had won the battle, he suddenly learned in Xicheng that Liu Bei had merged the nine counties of Shangyong into Xincheng County and appointed Liu Feng as the prefect of Xincheng.

Meng Da was stunned.

I worked so hard to run from Fangling to Xicheng one by one, attending social events and fulfilling promises along the way, and traveled over mountains and rivers, traveling a total of more than two thousand miles.

As a result, as soon as you, Liu Feng, arrived, you became the prefect of Xincheng?
Then I'm just busying myself for nothing?
If it weren't for Fa Zheng's persuasion, Meng Da would have wanted to write a letter to Liu Bei to resign.

Looking at Meng Da's frosty face, Liu Feng could guess what was in Meng Da's mind without asking.

after all.

In order to let Meng Da guard Zigui with peace of mind, Liu Feng made up a set of excuses to fool Meng Da.

Now that Guan Yu is not only innocent but also has made great contributions, it is no longer Meng Da's turn to take Jingzhou.

Liu Feng became the prefect of Xincheng, and there was no place for Meng Da to stand in Xincheng.

It would be impossible for Meng Da to be so open-minded.

Although Meng Da was in a miserable state, Liu Feng did not add insult to injury or mock him.

First, his view was positive, and second, Liu Feng was not stupid enough to push Meng Da to Cao Pi.

After Liu Bei became king, factions increased in number and were no longer as united as they were at the beginning.

The Jingzhou faction wants benefits, the Yizhou faction wants benefits, the Dongzhou faction wants benefits, and the Yuancong faction wants benefits, and each faction has its own strongholds.

When there are too many people, there will inevitably be conflicts.

however.

The enemy of my enemy can also become my friend.

Compared with the local gentry in Xichuan who only wanted to guard their own piece of land, Meng Da was also eager to make progress.

Winning over Meng Da would mean gaining another supporter for the future Northern Expedition.

After all, the dispute between Liu Feng and Meng Da was just an internal dispute. Internal problems should be solved internally, as long as they can be united in facing the outside world.

In order to win over Meng Da, Liu Feng had already made preparations.

Tian Qi presented a brocade box to Meng Da.

Under Meng Da's suspicious eyes, Liu Feng slowly said: "I know that General Meng is unhappy, and I have no intention of making excuses. Zhuge Military Advisor once gave me a book called "Le Yi's Book of a Hundred Battles".

According to Zhuge's military advisor, this book was written by Yue Yi and originally had ten volumes on a hundred battles, but because a lot of it was lost during its circulation, the content is mostly incomplete.

I copied the contents and presented them to General Meng, hoping that we can make peace with each other and work together to achieve the great success of the Northern Expedition."

The so-called "Lie Yi's Book of a Hundred Battles" is actually a book title made up by Liu Feng. It was not written by Le Yi, nor was it a gift from Zhuge Liang.

Instead, it was created by Liu Feng based on the theories of military books such as "A Hundred Battles and Strange Tactics" and "Thirty-Six Strategies".

As for its value, it definitely has some; but as to how great its value is, that depends on how strong Meng Da's comprehension ability is.

after all.

The theories in military books are often very concise and have a metaphysical flavor.

It is said to be "Lie Yi's Book of a Hundred Battles", but the total content does not exceed 300 words.

For example, Liu Feng excerpted the "Hide the Heaven and Cross the Sea" from the Thirty-Six Stratagems, which says: Be prepared and your mind will be lazy; see it often and you will not be suspicious. Yin is within Yang, not opposite to Yang. Sun, Moon.

If one has no knowledge of the Book of Changes, few people can read this sentence smoothly.

but.

The content is not really the point.

The key point lies in Liu Feng's attitude of turning hostility into friendship.

Without waiting for Meng Da to speak.

Liu Feng said to Fa Zheng: "Minister Fa, when I was chatting with my father in Jiangling, I learned that he intended to follow the example of Emperor Gaozu in conquering the Three Qins and personally lead a large army to the north.

However, my father is old, which worries me. As old people are not as strong as their muscles, I think my father should stay in Hanzhong and lead the Northern Expedition instead of leading the army himself.

Otherwise, if something unexpected happens on the way, it will surely make the relatives sad and the enemies happy. I know that Minister Fa once blocked an arrow for my father. If Minister Fa advises me, my father will definitely listen.

I also ask the Minister of Law to go to Jiangling and give his father some kind words of advice."

Fa Zheng was originally a clever person.

Liu Feng sent "Le Yi's Book of a Hundred Battles" to Meng Da, and mentioned the Northern Expedition with a double entendre. How could people not understand Liu Feng's intention?
Fa Zheng responded directly: "I already know the deputy general's intention. Since the king is calling urgently, Zi Jing and I will not stay in Fangling."

Liu Feng made a few polite remarks but did not try to force him to stay.

Since Fa Zheng has understood, Liu Feng doesn't need to worry about the rest.

Stay far away.

Meng Da then spoke, his tone still unhappy: "Liu Feng took a military book that he found from somewhere and lied that it was Le Yi's military book. Did he really think I couldn't see it?"

Fa Zheng sighed and said, “Zi Jing, it doesn’t matter whether the military book is from Yue Yi or not. What matters is that Deputy General Liu is willing to get along with you.

The incident in Jingzhou happened suddenly. If Deputy General Liu had not responded in time, not only would Jingzhou be lost, but Marquis Guan would probably have had no chance of survival.

If we lose Jingzhou, Your Majesty will surely be furious and raise an army to fight against Sun Quan. If you raise an army in anger, the outcome is unpredictable. If Your Majesty is defeated, how can you and I return to Guanzhong?
You know those people in Xichuan well. They just want to stay in Xichuan and don't want to leave Sichuan at all. If we want to march north to conquer the Central Plains, we need help from the people of Jingzhou.

Before that, I hope you can put aside your personal grudge against Deputy General Liu."

Mengda was silent.

After a while.

Meng Da asked again: "Xiaozhi, what is the king's attitude towards Liu Feng? The crown prince today is no longer Liu Feng."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fa Zheng's sharp voice sounded: "Zijing, stop talking nonsense! You have to remember, who the Crown Prince is has nothing to do with you and me. We are only loyal to the King!"

Looking at Fa Zheng's stern expression and biting eyes, Meng Da shrank his neck subconsciously: "Xiaozhi, I will ask in private."

Fa Zheng said in a sharp voice: "You can't even ask! You can't even think about it! Otherwise, I can't protect you!"

See this.

Meng Da also realized in his heart: the fact that Fa Zheng was so wary of Liu Feng showed the status of Liu Feng in Liu Bei's heart.

And on the other side.

Liu Feng also had a new judgment.

"Fa Xiaozhi has a rosy complexion and shows no signs of illness. It seems that the death of Fa Zheng recorded in history should also be related to the fact that Jun Hou lost Jingzhou and Meng Da resigned and surrendered to Wei."

According to historical records, Fa Zheng died in his prime for unknown reasons.

Liu Feng actually speculated whether Fa Zheng had contracted a serious illness after becoming the Minister of the Chancellery.

It now seems that the possibility of contracting the disease is very small.

All things considered, it is highly likely that after Meng Da defected, Fa Zheng, who was Meng Da's good friend, fell into despair and helplessness due to the loss of Jingzhou, the killing of Guan Yu, and Meng Da's betrayal.

After all, Fa Zheng was a competitive and vindictive person, and he had offended many people.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. The political enemies who want to put the blame on Fa Zheng will not miss this opportunity.

Just like Mi Zhu, he died of illness out of shame and resentment over Mi Fang's surrender.

“Although Fa Xiaozhi may not agree with me, the Northern Expedition is the top priority right now. We must not worry about the future and neglect the great cause.

With Fa Xiaozhi here, even if my father finally decides to lead the people to the north, there will be someone around to persuade him. "

Future matters will be decided in the future.

Liu Feng didn't want to use things that had not happened in the future to interfere with current decisions.

Just as Liu Feng would take the initiative to make peace with Meng Da.

top priority.

The Northern Expedition is the top priority.

Today, Liu Feng no longer has the mentality of just wanting to survive when he first arrived in Shangyong, uncertain about life or death.

After experiencing the Battle of Jingzhou, Liu Feng became more magnanimous and had a longer-term vision.

Cao Wei occupied the rich land in the north and was indeed powerful.

However, whether or not one can wipe out the heroes does not simply depend on who occupies the rich land.

Just like how Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao in the past.

It remains unknown who will be the king between Cao and Liu in the end.

(End of this chapter)