Tiger Guards

Chapter 372 Commenting on Heroes
In Guangling, the winter wheat harvest has begun.

Everywhere was a scene of frantic harvesting. Chen Deng went out to inspect the city and organized his troops and retainers to participate in the wheat harvest.

Yuan Shu's envoy, Shu Shao, once again traveled to Guangling to deliver a letter of persuasion to Chen Deng to surrender.

Shu Shao has an excellent reputation in the four prefectures of the Central Plains because he opened the granaries and distributed grain without authorization last year.

Therefore, Chen Deng treated Shu Shao with courtesy and traveled with him by car.

Currently, Sun Ben's naval forces have not directly confronted Chen Deng, which is why Chen Deng is able to calmly harvest the winter wheat.

Sun Ben's decision not to bring his troops ashore does not mean he will sit idly by and watch Chen Deng lead his troops to rescue Liu Bei.

Chen Deng's own troops' families were either in the eastern coastal area of ​​Xiapi or stayed with the army in Guangling.

In addition to his own troops, there were also soldiers from Guangling County, as well as private armies of other powerful families.

The officials and soldiers whose families were in Guangling would not leave Guangling to follow Chen Deng to rescue Liu Bei, as long as Sun Ben kept his troops at bay.

Forcing the army to march north to participate in the war would make morale very unstable and could lead to mutiny at any time.

This would also force Sun Ben to passively participate in the battle, making it impossible for him to effectively rescue Liu Bei, and Liu Bei would also be caught in a battle with Sun Ben.

Before Sun Ben landed, the soldiers and civilians of Guangling lived in a tense environment, but were able to avoid the persecution brought about by the military.

Sun Ben was forced to lead his troops ashore to fight. Given the habits of the various armies under his command, the extent of the destruction they could cause was completely beyond Sun Ben's control.

Therefore, although Chen Deng belonged to Liu Bei's camp, he could only remain passively neutral and watch the results of the battles at Pengcheng and Xiapi appear.

Sun Ben's navy, without actively engaging in battle, held back the armies of Chen Deng, Zang Ba, and Chang Ba.

From the perspective of the overall strategy of Xuzhou, Yuan Shu cannot be blamed for anything, after all, no one could have done better than Sun Ben.

Assuming Sun Ben can accomplish the current strategic tasks, Yuan Shu will not make any last-minute changes to his generals.

However, if they wanted to quickly take over Xuzhou, Liu Bei and Guan Yu were each defending their fortified cities in the north, so they could only wait for a water attack.

Even if they manage to eliminate Liu Bei and Guan Yu before the allied forces of Zhao Ji and Lü Bu arrive, the troops fighting in the north will be exhausted, which will be detrimental to the decisive battle.

The surrendered troops within the city would also be full of resentment, which would be detrimental to their reorganization and absorption.

Therefore, turning Chen Deng, Chang Ba, and Zang Ba against their cause and persuading them to surrender became the best option to break the deadlock. Any one of them could take the lead in turning against their own side and could shake Xuzhou.

In order to persuade and convince Chen Deng and the other two to surrender, Yuan Shu made a solemn promise.

A grain drying ground, with plum trees planted beside it.

The largest plum tree, though not tall, was very lush, with its branches spreading out in all directions, covering a width of more than four zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Chen Deng set up a banquet under the shade of a plum tree and brewed wine to entertain Shu Shao.

Shu Shao sat down on the straw mat, reached out and grabbed a few plums, plucked them off, squinted his eyes, and stuffed them into his mouth to bite with his molars.

After tasting the strong astringent flavor, I turned my head and spat it out. Then I picked up the warm plum wine and took a sip to clear the astringent taste from my mouth.

Then he spoke: "Now that the two armies are clashing, the summer harvest in Guangling has not been affected by the war. This is all thanks to Lord Yuan's respect for Yuanlong."

After Yuan Shu established his title system, he did not claim to be a king, emperor, or duke, a phenomenon that is difficult to explain from a etiquette perspective.

Therefore, Yuan Shu called himself "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "I"), and his civil and military officials addressed him as "至尊" ​​(Zhizun, meaning "Supreme" or "Zen").

But Shu Shao couldn't be too provocative towards Chen Deng.

Chen Deng raised his cup with both hands: "How could I not know Lord Yuan's intentions? However, as a Han official, I have been paid by the Han for generations, and I am also friends with Lord Xuande. Even though Changba and Zangba were bandits, they still upheld their integrity. If I were to respond to Lord Yuan first... given Lord Yuan's public-spiritedness and righteousness, he would despise me. Therefore, Brother Zhongying, there is no need to mention the matter of persuading me to surrender again."

Everything is subject to comparison, and Chen Deng's answer was reasonable and well-founded.

Which of Yuan Shu's key figures wasn't a hereditary recipient of the Han dynasty's stipend?
This is not a reason for stubborn resistance. Chen Deng's reason is that he cannot surrender first, as it would be a loss of face and reputation.

Shu Shao didn't think it was excessive, because what Chen Deng said made a lot of sense.

Even if Yuan Shu were invited here, he would not refute Chen Deng's remarks.

If Chen Deng had decisively surrendered and betrayed Liu Bei, Yuan Shu would have looked down on him.

Shu Shao raised his glass: "Yuanlong is a man of great talent and magnanimity. I have underestimated Yuanlong."

It takes great courage to refuse Yuan Shu's repeated attempts to persuade him to surrender.

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng raised his cup in acknowledgment. After the two drank their fills, Chen Deng picked up some fish sashimi with his chopsticks, while Chen Jiao served them wine.

After taking a small taste of the fresh and sweet fish sashimi, Chen Deng asked, "Why didn't the Yuzhang Huazi fish submit to Lord Yuan?"

Between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, besides Chen Deng, only Hua Xin, the governor of Yuzhang, remained, still resisting Yuan Shu.

Shu Shao laughed and said, "Hua Xin is a talkative man who knows nothing about military affairs. Sun Jing has come from behind and is showing signs of usurping Yuzhang."

Before the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, Yuzhang was one of the few large prefectures with a population of over one million. However, it was too large, and various factions sent people to fight for it, which led to civil war and made it difficult to unify the prefecture. As a result, no powerful force emerged.

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng asked, "I heard that the imperial court intends to send troops from Jingzhou down the Yangtze River to cut off Jiangdong?"

"Hehe, that's a saying." Shu Shao said confidently, then asked, "Who will Liu Jingsheng appoint as his general when he launches his campaign?"

The most suitable candidate was Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia Commandery appointed by Liu Biao.

But Huang Zu had a blood feud with Sun Jian. When Huang Zu led his army through Yuzhang, what did Sun Jing and his men think? And what did Huang Zu himself think?
If Jiangdong were truly cut off, would Huang Zu still continue to rely on Liu Biao?

Liu Biao was a Han official, and so was Huang Zu.

It doesn't make sense that Liu Biao could be the governor of Jingzhou, but Huang Zu couldn't be the governor of Yangzhou.

After Huang Zu became the governor of Yangzhou, who would take over Jiangxia?
Especially after Huang Zu cut off Jiangdong, when he asked the court for the position of Governor of Yangzhou, did the court grant it to him?

If he doesn't give it to him, Huang Zu can lead the army that quelled the rebellion and Jiangdong to join Yuan Shu.

Therefore, even if the imperial court does not deliberately cause trouble to split Liu Biao, as long as Huang Zu's stance is not firm, there is a very high probability that he will break away from Liu Biao and tear off a large piece of flesh, directly threatening Liu Biao's heart.

The Nan Commandery, which Liu Biao personally oversaw, was separated from the Jiangxia Commandery by the Han River. If Jiangxia followed Huang Zu and declared independence, the pillar supporting Liu Biao's rule over Jingzhou would immediately collapse!

If you were Liu Biao, would you let Huang Zu command this army?

If you refuse Huang Zu and choose someone else to lead the troops, what will Huang Zu think?
Therefore, judging from Liu Biao's lukewarm demeanor over the past few years, it is highly likely that he will organize this army and appoint Huang Zu as its general.

However, this army will most likely be bogged down by various matters, unless Liu Biao and Huang Zu reach a direct agreement.

For example, Huang Zu handed over Jiangxia... but the Huang family of Jiangxia had such great influence that it was not possible to quickly eliminate Huang Zu's influence simply by changing the prefect.

Chen Deng pondered for a moment, then raised his cup in thanks: "I understand. Then I will await the changes in the north."

He has no intention of taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble. Guangling is not short of water, but due to frequent wars, neither the people nor the government have any savings in recent years.

Guangling was mostly affected by windstorms and floods. As long as there was no epidemic or war, the people could still easily make ends meet after the disaster, and there would be no large-scale famine, starvation, or banditry and war.

If even Guangling is so barren, one can infer the reserves in other places.

All sides have already exhausted their military ambitions to the extreme.

This autumn's decisive battle will inevitably see one powerful force fall.

If the army is defeated, even if they survive, there will be no way to recover. They will be trapped in a resource-poor corner, waiting for the enemy to recover their strength before they can be wiped out.

Chen Deng also had some thoughts about the position of Governor of Yangzhou.

Shu Shao stopped trying to persuade them, and the two began to chat casually, evaluating the heroes from all sides.

It's not appropriate to comment on the two Yuan brothers; one can only evaluate Lü Bu, Zhao Ji, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Liu Biao, and Gongsun Zan. As for figures like Liu Zhang and Liu Jiyu of Yizhou, or Zhang Jin of Jiaozhou, Zhang Yang, the governor of Yanzhou, Zang Ba, the governor of Qingzhou, and Sun Ce, the prefect of Taishan, they are all no longer worthy of consideration.

Although Lü Bu did not commit the heinous act of seizing Xuzhou, his reputation is currently good, but only to a limited extent.

The reforms were initiated after the Zhao family's military remonstrance, and the subsequent improvement in the political situation was also attributed to the Zhao family.

Zhao Yan and Zhao Ji, to some extent, respected the literati and were willing to follow their methods.

Although Zhao Ji had many willful and impulsive behaviors, at his age, things like annihilating powerful clans and destroying manors were nothing special in the eyes of the people of Guandong. Besides, the knife Zhao Ji swung didn't actually cut himself.

The powerful families in Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Sanfu that were brought down by Zhao Ji were all from the traditional Xizhou region.

Zhao Ji was originally from Langya and came from Guandong... If we don't severely punish the arrogance of the powerful families and gentry of Xizhou, are we going to wait for these powerful families of Xizhou to take the initiative to cause trouble?
Driven by a mindset of regional competition, the mainstream scholars in the Kanto region did not feel that Zhao Ji had gone too far.

It is conceivable that if Zhao Jizhen pacifies Xizhou and advances into the Guandong prefectures and counties in the future, he will adopt a conciliatory approach.

At the same time, Lü Bu's forceful elimination of the prominent families and noble clans of Nanyang was seen by the people of Guandong as a benevolent act of ridding the world of evil.

Scholars across the land can be roughly divided into four groups: those from Guandong, Xizhou, Nanyang, and the border regions.

Just as Jingzhou is divided into three parts—Nanyang, Jingbei, and Jingnan—the scholars of Nanyang, the capital of the emperor, are in a class of their own.

Lü Bu's crushing defeat of the powerful clans of Nanyang brought him a sense of catharsis, revenge, and vindication for the scholars of Guandong, Xizhou, and the border regions throughout history.

However, Lü Bu came from a remote prefecture and had an even lower social standing, so Chen Deng did not think highly of him.

Back then, Dong Zhuo was incredibly ambitious, yet he only lasted two and a half years; could Lü Bu possibly be stronger than Dong Zhuo?

In contrast, the Zhao family was much better at making choices, shifting the blame for the disaster onto Lü Bu.

During their discussion, both men agreed that Lü Bu would soon perish; while if Zhao Ji retreated to Xizhou after his military campaign this year and focused on building his foundation, he might still achieve great things.

If they lingered in Guandong and engaged in endless battles with various factions, the remaining elite forces of Xizhou would be worn down and severely damaged, and the Zhao family would also fall into decline.

Liu Biao is too old and lacks vigor and pioneering spirit, so he will achieve nothing; Gongsun Zan is also from a border region, and he will be worn down by Yuan Shao sooner or later.

As for Cao Cao and Liu Bei, Chen Deng believed that Liu Bei was capable of accomplishing great things and had a strong tendency to emulate the past deeds of Emperor Guangwu.

Although Shu Shao, who was from Chenliu, disliked and hated Cao Cao, he also believed that Cao Cao's ruthlessness might be the fate that would fall on Cao Cao, except for Lü Bu.

While drinking and chatting, Chen Deng and Shu Shao commented on the heroes of the world, and only returned to the city together by car at sunset.

(End of this chapter)