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

Liu Feng's sharp gaze fell on Liu Pan.

In Linxiang City today, perhaps no one understands the situation of Guiyang and Lingling counties better than Liu Pan.

Sure enough, Liu Pan stepped forward at the opportune moment, walked to the map, glanced at the faces of everyone in the hall, and said loudly, "Hao Pu, the Prefect of Lingling, was originally a subordinate of the King of Hanzhong. When Lü Meng sent troops to attack Jingnan, Hao Pu surrendered, but he may not have truly submitted to Eastern Wu. Now Sun Quan still orders him to garrison Lingling, but secretly sends officials to monitor his actions. If we use both kindness and force, we may be able to win him back."

After Liu Pan finished introducing the situation in Lingling, he moved his finger to Guiyang County on the map.

"Quan Rou, the Prefect of Guiyang, is a high-ranking official in Jiangdong. He has been loyal to the Sun family since the time of Sun Ce, and it will be difficult to persuade him to surrender. Moreover, Quan Rou has a son named Quan Cong, who is skilled in both literature and military affairs and is currently leading troops under Sun Quan. However, the garrison in Guiyang is only a little over a thousand men, and most of them are newly recruited local soldiers with low combat strength. The people of these two prefectures know that Your Excellency has come in person, so you can pacify them with a proclamation!"

Liu Feng pondered for a moment, then looked up at Kou Wei: "Ziwu, I order you to lead your two thousand troops south, carrying my command to see Hao Pu. Tell him that the King of Hanzhong's army has recovered Wuling and Changsha, and that I, Liu Feng, am in Linxiang. If he opens the city gates and surrenders, all past transgressions will be forgiven, and he will retain his official rank and position in Lingling. If he refuses, then he shall await his execution!"

"Yes, my lord." Kou Wei clasped his hands in response.

Liu Feng nodded, then turned to Liu Pan, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brother, your brothers are familiar with the terrain and troop deployment of Changsha. I will allocate three thousand able-bodied men from the Liu clan of Changsha, as well as newly recruited soldiers, to you for training and to wipe out the remaining enemies of Eastern Wu in Changsha!"

Liu Feng pointed heavily at a spot south of the Xiang River.

"Yiyang. This city has the largest garrison of Eastern Wu troops. In the past, when Lord Guan and Lu Su led their troops to confront each other, Yiyang was an important stronghold. If you take Yiyang, the rest of the counties can be pacified by sending proclamations. I have ordered Chief Shamoke to lead his barbarian troops to assist you."

Shamoke patted his chest and laughed, "Don't worry, my lord! Those Wu dogs can't outrun us in the mountains!"

Having determined the allocation of troops, Liu Feng immediately clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to the generals in the hall.

"This battle presents a golden opportunity for you generals to establish your merits. I will remain in Linxiang to await your triumphant return. In the future, I will certainly petition the King of Hanzhong to bestow upon you all higher ranks and titles!"

After the military meeting ended, Liu Pan and Sha Moke led their troops out of the city that same day, and Kou Wei also swore an oath to march south the next morning.

In the county temple of Linxiang, Liu Feng glanced at the sky outside the hall, finding a rare moment of leisure amidst his busy schedule. Since he raised his army in Shangyong, he had frequently launched raids covering hundreds of miles, fighting to the death. Now, in the four counties of Jingnan, the main forces led by Pan Zhang and Jiang Qin of Eastern Wu had been annihilated, and the remaining remnants were no longer a threat. Liu Feng was happy to allow generals like Kou Wei and Guan Ping to lead troops independently in battle.

Liu Feng glanced back at the mountain of government orders, notices, and tedious tasks piled up on his desk, and couldn't help but rub his temples.

"Governing a region is no easy task! In the past, with Mr. Ma Jichang's help, I didn't realize it. But now that Mr. Ma Jichang is tied up in Linyuan, I don't even have a single assistant to help me with governance..."

As he murmured to himself, a name suddenly popped into Liu Feng's mind. He immediately ordered someone to prepare an ordinary cake gift box. He did not bring any guards or wear any armor. Instead, he changed into a worn-out robe and rode alone through the streets and alleys. After a while, he arrived at a secluded house in the east of the city.

The house is not large, with blue bricks and gray tiles. In front of the door are two old locust trees with lush leaves and gnarled, vigorous branches.

A plaque hangs above the door, reading "Bu Residence".

This is Bu Zhi's private residence in Linxiang City.

After Liu Feng captured Linxiang City, he released Bu Zhi back to his private residence to reunite with his family. However, Bu Zhi was not allowed to leave the residence without permission, and guards were stationed around the mansion to monitor and protect him.

The guards at the gate also recognized Liu Feng.

"My lord!"

Liu Feng nodded and laughed loudly, "Brothers, you've worked hard. Is Bu Zhi at home?"

The guard replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, without Your Excellency's orders, I would not dare to release Bu Zhi from the residence without authorization."

Liu Feng reached out and knocked on the door of the Bu residence several times.

After a while, the gate of the mansion opened a crack, and an old servant poked his head out. Seeing that the newcomer had an extraordinary bearing, he dared not be negligent. After going in to announce his arrival, he led Liu Feng into the main hall.

Bu Zhi sat upright behind the desk.

He was nearly fifty years old, with a thin face and three long tufts of beard hanging down to his chest. His plain cloth robe was worn and faded, but it was starched and made very crisp. He had no extra ornaments on his body, except for a rough pottery teacup and an open bamboo scroll on the table.

When Bu Zhi saw Liu Feng slowly walk in, he did not get up to greet him, but only glanced at the latter with a calm gaze as deep as a well.

"Your Excellency has just taken over the prefecture and is busy with many affairs, yet you have taken the time to grace my humble abode with your presence. I wonder what advice you may have for me?"

Bu Zhi's voice was calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Liu Feng didn't stand on ceremony and sat down cross-legged opposite Bu Zhi, placing the cake gift box on the table.

"To be honest, Mr. Bu, I've been so burdened by official duties that I came to your residence to find some peace and quiet!"

As he spoke, Liu Feng poured himself a bowl of tea, took a sip, and exclaimed, "Oh my! Elder Bu is indeed a refined scholar. Is this tea Yuelu Yunwu from Linxiang City? It is much more fragrant than the tea in my residence."

Only then did Bu Zhi put down the book in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the box of pastries and Liu Feng's smiling face, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

"Your Excellency has not come here for tea, has he? I have already expressed my intentions to Ma Jichang. If Your Excellency intends to recruit me, you would be better off refraining from speaking!"

Liu Feng completely ignored this remark.

"Ah. Elder Bu is a man of noble character and integrity, a national hero of our Han Dynasty! Ma Jichang had already told me that his visit to Elder Bu's residence today was only because of the busy military affairs, and he had been neglecting Elder Bu in the past. So he brought some pastries to visit Elder Bu, and had no other intentions."

Bu Zhi sneered inwardly, but only picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

Liu Feng was given a cold shoulder, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he chuckled and looked around the hall.

Besides the rough pottery teacup and bamboo slips, there were several volumes of documents on the table. These were the old household registration records and tax accounts of Changsha Prefecture. When Bu Zhi was under house arrest, he took them back to look at them and wrote annotations and corrections densely between the lines.

Upon seeing the annotations, Liu Feng became somewhat suspicious and suddenly asked a seemingly nonsensical question: "I've heard that when Elder Bu governed Jiaozhou, the people lived in peace and prosperity. Why was he assigned to Jingnan?"

Bu Zhi raised his head, glanced at Liu Feng, and said calmly, "My lord, General Gongsun, ordered me to come here."

"My lord?"

Liu Feng's eyes flickered, but he feigned ignorance and laughed, "The lord that Elder Bu is referring to, is it General Sun Zhongmou, the Han general who was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, Governor of Jingzhou, and Marquis of Nanchang?"

Bu Zhi snorted coldly.

"My lord, why ask a question you already know the answer to? Are you perhaps just trying to make fun of this old man?"

"How could I dare? What brings General Sun here with Elder Bu?"

"He then governed Changsha Prefecture and brought peace and stability to the people."

Bu Zhi answered crisply and decisively.

Liu Feng suddenly slapped his thigh, raising his voice: "That's right!"

He picked up the teacup, took another sip, and wiped his mouth.

"Sun Zhongmou is the Governor of Jingzhou, appointed by the Han Dynasty. He sent Bu Lao to govern Jingnan and stabilize the people! But now the people of Changsha are suffering terribly, oppressive government is rampant, and the people are living in misery. As the minister appointed by Governor Sun to govern the country, how can Bu Lao sit idly by and watch the people suffer without doing anything? Wouldn't that be betraying General Sun's important trust and failing in his duty to the Han Dynasty?"

Bu Zhi looked slightly taken aback, sensing that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Liu Feng, however, did not give Bu Zhi a chance to interrupt, and continued to talk on and on while the iron was hot.

"According to what Elder Bu just said, Sun Zhongmou is your lord. Who is Sun Zhongmou? He is the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Han Dynasty. He sent you to Jingnan to govern the people, but in whose name did he use? In the name of the Governor of Jingzhou of the Han Dynasty! Elder Bu and I are both Han officials, only our duties are different. Now the King of Hanzhong has ordered me to quell the bandits in Changsha Commandery, but governing and caring for the people is truly Elder Bu's responsibility!"

Bu Zhi felt a bit dazed. Disregarding his composure, he pointed at Liu Feng and sighed, "You...you."

Liu Feng reached out and grabbed Bu Zhi's sleeve, laughing heartily, and said, "Elder Bu, I have been governing and managing the people for you for many days. You have received great favors from the Han Dynasty and are entrusted with the important task of Governor Sun. How can you continue to stand idly by!"

Without waiting for Bu Zhi's reply, he loudly ordered, "Guards! Send all the important government orders and decrees of the past few days to Elder Bu's residence for his consideration and implementation."

After Liu Feng finished speaking, he leaned forward again, his tone becoming increasingly matter-of-fact, and said with a smile, "Elder Bu, all government decrees must be benevolent and compassionate towards the people. If General Sun were to recapture Jingnan one day, Elder Bu, you should return these well-managed household registers to him. The people will be at peace, and there will be ample funds and provisions—that would be truly fulfilling General Sun's trust and the Han dynasty's mandate. Don't you agree?"

Bu Zhi's hand, holding the teacup, hovered in mid-air, his expression a mix of astonishment and helplessness.

He had lived half his life and met many people, but he had never seen anyone dare to so brazenly distort logic in front of him. He knew perfectly well that Liu Feng's reasoning was flawed, yet every point he made was tied to his own words, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

The hall was quiet for a few breaths.

Liu Feng didn't urge him, but slowly drank his tea, while his eyes looked past the rim of the bowl to observe Bu Zhi's expression.

Bu Zhi slowly placed the teacup he was holding on the table, a wry smile on his face, and said lightly, "Your Excellency's actions are indeed unpredictable, truly a legacy of your ancestors!"

Liu Feng choked on his tea and was about to speak when Bu Zhi stood up, straightened his clothes, and seemed to tacitly agree with what Liu Feng had just said.