Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

Chapter 103 A heartfelt meal wins the hearts of the people.

In Linxiang City, the troop movements of all units have been completed.

The Han army mobilized like a precision machine. Stones and boiling oil were transported to the city walls, the duty rosters of the four gate guards were rearranged, and daily drills were conducted without interruption.

But Liu Feng knew in his heart that in ancient times, what truly determined the outcome of a war was not how high the city walls were, how many soldiers were stationed, or even whether the food supplies were sufficient, but rather the support of the people in the city.

Military intelligence information blew through Linxiang City like a spring breeze.

Rumors of Sun Quan personally leading an army of 100,000 south to Linxiang first spread sporadically from the northern ferry crossings, and then were brought into the city by merchants traveling to and from the city.

The atmosphere in Linxiang City suddenly became tense. Several families of refugees who had just moved into the city had quietly packed their bags and fled south under the cover of night.

They were long accustomed to this constant fleeing for their lives; today they would escape to Changsha, next month to Jiaozhou, and the following month back to Jingnan.

Like wild grass beneath the rolling wheels of history, until the iron hooves of war catch up and crush its bones—

But many more people did not leave.

Perhaps they were powerless to escape, or perhaps they saw a glimmer of hope for survival in Linxiang City!

Early that morning, Liu Feng was checking the amount of grain stored in the city with Ma Liang at the prefectural temple when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the gate.

The sound grew louder and louder, gradually merging into a single wave that surged into the courtyard like a tide.

Liu Feng placed the bamboo slips in his hand on the table, frowned, exchanged a glance with Ma Liang, and got up to walk towards the gate of the mansion.

The scene in front of the mansion gate made Liu Feng pause slightly.

The streets outside the county temple, paved with bluestone, were now densely packed with people.

Among these people were farmers whose clothes were patched up, hunters whose sleeves were rolled up to reveal their strong arms, porters with rags draped over their shoulders, and several women with headscarves following closely behind their husbands.

The surging crowd stretched from outside the temple gate all the way to the street corner, layer upon layer, making the entire alley completely congested.

Several goalkeepers were maintaining order, but their voices were drowned out by the crowd and could not be heard clearly.

Liu Feng frowned, casually pulled over a soldier, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Why are the people gathered here?"

,

The soldier recognized Liu Feng and bowed respectfully, saying, "General, I don't know what has happened. Since this morning, refugees and common people from both inside and outside the city have gradually gathered here. There is no leader; they just gather in twos and threes, wanting to see you, my lord!"

Liu Feng nodded and strode towards the gate of the mansion.

As Fang stepped out of the gate, the clamor of voices suddenly subsided. The eyes of the crowd gathered outside the mansion all turned toward Liu Feng, these hundreds of gazes carrying anticipation, tension, and some indescribable, burning emotion.

From the crowd, someone in the front row shouted, "General Liu has come out!"

Liu Feng's gaze followed the sound and finally landed on a familiar figure in the front row of the crowd.

He was an old man with gray hair. Just yesterday, Liu Feng had played with him in the fields outside the city, making clods of earth and talking about the harvest.

The old man was dressed in a short brown robe with fewer patches today, with a well-sharpened old wood-chopping knife at his waist. His wife stood beside him, and the old woman carried a bamboo basket filled with some freshly dug wild vegetables.

"Old man, what's going on here?"

Liu Feng strode up to the old man, took his arm, and asked in a low voice.

The old man, named Chen Achun, raised his head and said in a loud voice when Liu Feng recognized him, "General, I heard that the Wu dogs are coming again! I've lived for fifty-eight years, and this is the first time I've ever seen the government distribute land and cattle without extorting money from the people. Just when things were starting to look good, that bastard Sun Quan wants to take it all away? Dream on!"

Chen Achun patted the machete at his waist.

"Although I'm quite old, I'm still very strong. I can chop wood faster than any young man. General, let me go up to the city wall to defend it!"

As soon as Chen Achun finished speaking, the crowd behind him echoed in unison, their voices, though uneven, made people's eardrums buzz.

"General, let us go up the city wall! Let's fight those Wu dogs!"

Seeing the old man shouting so loudly that his face turned red and his neck bulged, the old woman next to Chen Achun tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Old man, don't just think about being a hero."

She turned to look at Liu Feng, her voice a few decibels softer than the old man's, yet it carried the simple stubbornness unique to a country woman.

"General, I'm not good with a knife. But I can do chores like washing clothes and cooking. Let me go to the camp to help out, start fires, cook, and do laundry. I will never let your men go to war on an empty stomach."

Several women behind her, all wearing headscarves, nodded in agreement. Even a young woman holding a child nodded vigorously at Liu Feng.

Liu Feng stood on the steps, gazing at the rough and stubborn unfamiliar faces.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, that defending the city was the soldiers' job, and that sending untrained civilians to the battlefield was just a pointless death.

But Liu Feng swallowed the words back down his throat.

They brought food and drink to welcome the king's army.

Liu Feng suddenly understood the terrifying power contained in those eight characters. These farmers, hunters, porters, and women had made their choices in the simplest way possible, not because of his eloquence or Liu Feng's power, but because of the land, the oxen, and the names and identities written in the registers that he had given them.

These seemingly insignificant things are precisely the foundation upon which it was able to establish itself in Jingnan.

"Old man."

Liu Feng struggled to suppress his surging emotions and said gently, "Fellow villagers, I appreciate your concern. But the arrows and swords on the city wall are indiscriminate; untrained civilians going up there will only be throwing their lives away. Rest assured, fellow villagers, Linxiang City is also my home, Liu Feng's home. As long as I am here, the Wu dogs will not be allowed to set foot in the city!"

Hearing Liu Feng's words, Chen Achun became anxious and was about to argue when Liu Feng raised his hand to stop him, continuing, "But you are right about one thing, old man. Defending a city is not just about killing people with knives. Reinforcing the city walls, moving stones and boiling oil, and transporting the wounded all require manpower. Women can wash clothes and cook for the soldiers, so that the soldiers are not distracted."

Liu Feng turned around and looked at Ma Liang, who had been standing beside him.

"Mr. Ji Chang, register the names of these villagers one by one, and divide them into groups according to age and physical strength. Those who can carry heavy objects will go to reinforce the city walls, those with skills will go to the workshops, and the women will be assigned to the kitchen and the wounded soldiers' camp. Their daily food and drink will be provided by the official granary, and they must not be treated poorly."

After this victory, rewards will be distributed according to merit!

Complex emotions surged in Ma Liang's eyes. Suddenly, Liu Feng's words, "A single spark can start a prairie fire," came to mind. He cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, my lord."

Not far away, at the street corner.

After being temporarily "subdued" by Liu Feng through trickery, Bu Zhi, who had been confined to his home for days, was gradually released from his confinement and allowed to wander around the city to observe the people's conditions. He was just not allowed to leave the city.

Since the news of Sun Quan's southward march arrived, the policies of military farming and other related matters in Changsha Commandery have been temporarily put on hold. Liu Feng did not hide the news from Bu, who already knew about it.

Bu's heart remained calm, perhaps because he had gradually grown accustomed to this kind of life after spending many days with Liu Feng.

But if Sun Quan were to reclaim Jingnan, Bu Zhi would naturally have to return to Jiangdong's command. However, today, Bu Zhi, while strolling outside the manor with his old servant, happened to witness this scene. He remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Alas! Eastern Wu has truly betrayed the people of Jingnan. General Sun, in the end, will not be able to reclaim Changsha Commandery."

Hearing Bu Zhi's sigh, the old servant who had served in the mansion for many years cautiously asked, "Master, I heard that General Sun has mobilized 100,000 troops this time, several times more than Liu Feng. Could he still suffer a setback?"

Bu Zhi fell silent again, a bitter smile appearing on his aged face.

"Sun Quan is doomed to defeat in this battle! I have been fortunate to be recognized and favored by Jiangdong. I only hope that the soldiers of Eastern Wu will not suffer too many casualties."

After saying that, he turned and headed towards his own house.

That day, after settling the matters concerning the refugees' volunteering, Liu Feng turned and headed towards the artisan workshop. In fact, ever since the news of Sun Quan's impending southward march reached him, Liu Feng had been working tirelessly, inspecting the city's defenses, training his soldiers, and even locking himself in his residence to write and draw on silk.

The craftsmen's workshop was located in a row of adobe houses on the east side of the county temple. It was originally an official iron smelting workshop in Changsha County. It was abandoned when the Eastern Wu occupied Linxiang City, leaving only a few old blacksmiths to repair swords and armor for the garrison.

After Liu Feng took control of Linxiang City, he reorganized the workshops and the other day ordered people to spend a lot of money to invite all the artisans in the city to gather here.

Among them, the workshop's street-facing rooms were used as a blacksmith's shop, while the backyard was allocated to carpenters, leatherworkers, and rope makers, each working separately.

When Liu Feng entered the workshop with only his personal guards, the workshop was bustling with activity.

Inside the blacksmith's shop, the furnace glowed red-hot, and several shirtless apprentices worked the bellows, sweat streaming down their backs. Carpenters set up benches in the courtyard, shavings piled up everywhere. Leatherworkers squatted under the eaves, cutting raw cowhide into neat strips.