My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 2 Visiting Cao Bao
The head servant bowed to Liu Feng and said, "Young master, the General of the Central Army, knowing that you were coming today, has already prepared a banquet in the back hall and has been waiting for you for a long time."

At this time, Cao Bao held the official position of General of the Central Army, appointed by Tao Qian, and commanded more than 20,000 soldiers from Danyang, Xuzhou.

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, General. I am overwhelmed with gratitude."

"I am Cao Yang, and I will guide you, sir."

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Feng followed Cao Yang into Cao's residence.

After turning a few corners, we arrived at the backyard and saw Cao Bao, the General of Jianwei, standing in front of the hall to greet us from afar.

A faint smile flickered across Liu Feng's lips, gone in an instant. Clearly, Cao Bao's presence in the hall was a very positive sign.

He never expected Cao Bao to be waiting at the gate of Cao's residence; after all, he was just Liu Bei's son, not Liu Bei himself.

Cao Bao was also observing Liu Feng from a distance.

The reason he greeted him in the hall was not only because the other party was Liu Bei's son, but also because Liu Feng's good reputation had spread from the northern provinces to Xuzhou.

According to rumors, Liu Feng was not only a filial son with a good reputation, but also a child prodigy who was famous throughout Qingzhou.

The Eastern Han Dynasty was most receptive to the idea of ​​child prodigies.

The Dongguan Hanji states that Zhang Kan was "six years old" and "possessed great talent and beauty, and was known in the capital as a 'prodigy'."

In the praise of Yang Xiong in the "General Eulogy of Sages and Women" section of the "Chronicles of Huayang", it says: "Yang Xiong was a child prodigy. At the age of seven, he was already proficient in writing the 'Xuan' text."

The book "Yiwen Leiju" describes Du An as someone who loved books so much that he carved a hole in the wall to hide them, and also says that he was called a "child prodigy".

The Eastern Han Dynasty saw an abundance of child prodigies, almost becoming a hallmark of the era.

Throughout history, no dynasty has adored child prodigies more than the Han Dynasty.

Cao Bao had already heard of Liu Bei's prodigy son, and with the son's visit, he couldn't help but be curious.

"This humble one, Liu Feng, pays his respects to General Jianwei."

Liu Feng quickened his pace and came to Cao Bao to pay his respects.

Cao Bao's face flashed with surprise, and he quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Young master, there is no need for such formality. Since I am a subordinate of Lord Xuande, I am naturally also your subordinate. Such a grand gesture makes me feel unworthy."

Liu Feng was pulled up by Cao Bao and said politely, "It is precisely because General Jianwei is an important minister of Xuzhou and my father is a pillar of the state that I dare not treat him with courtesy?"

Cao Bao was stunned for a moment, pondering the words "pillar of the nation" in his mind, and his eyes gleamed.

Cao Bao was no ordinary veteran leader; he was also from a noble family and a descendant of a prominent clan.

Otherwise, why would Tao Qian entrust his most elite and important military force, the Danyang Army, to him?
Cao Bao had heard of Liu Feng's name before, but he wasn't sure.

After all, Liu Feng was still young. Even though he was already the size of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, he was only ten years old.

If we also consider that the rumors Cao Bao heard happened a few years ago, wouldn't that mean that Liu Feng did those wonderful things when he was six or seven years old?
Therefore, Cao Bao remained skeptical.

Therefore, when he received Liu Feng's request to visit him, he responded solemnly and personally waited at the back courtyard gate to welcome him.

Now that the two have just met, Liu Feng's four casual words are so concise and meaningful that Cao Bao can't help but believe the rumors more deeply.

"Young master, please come in for a chat."

"Please, General."

The two took off their shoes and went into the hall to sit down as host and guest.

Pan Zhang held the box and pressed his sword, kneeling behind Liu Feng.

After the maid served the tea, Cao Bao asked with a smile, "I wonder what brings you here, young master?" Liu Feng quietly took a breath, straightened his body, and bowed solemnly, saying, "I have come here for the sake of General Liu's life and fortune."

Snapped!
Cao Bao had just picked up his teacup when he heard this, and he dropped it, shattering it on the ground.

However, Cao Bao was no longer concerned about the teacup at this moment. He frowned, looked at Liu Feng with displeasure, and his voice immediately turned cold: "What is the meaning of this, young master?"

Liu Feng had anticipated Cao Bao's reaction.

Since ancient times, persuaders have always made grand pronouncements.

If you don't give the other person a big scare first, why would they listen to you seriously?

Liu Feng remained calm, seemingly oblivious to Cao Bao's displeasure. Instead, he pleaded, "The sages say that the Dharma should not be passed on to six ears. I humbly request that the General dismiss his attendants."

Then, before Cao Bao could react, he turned to Pan Zhang and said, "Wen Gui, put the box next to me, and you may also leave."

Pan Zhang responded, put down the wooden box, and got up to leave first.

Cao Bao had initially suspected that the valiant and brave Pan Zhang might have ulterior motives, but to his surprise, Liu Feng simply let him leave.

Seeing that Liu Feng was only ten years old, even if he was a bit big, he couldn't possibly pose any threat to him.

Cao Bao pondered for a moment, then, thinking of Liu Feng's reputation as a child prodigy, he had an idea. He waved his hand, dismissing all the maids in the hall and the armored soldiers outside the door.

Seeing that only he and Cao Bao remained in the hall, Liu Feng did not continue to keep them in suspense and said directly, "This humble one is not talented, but I will try to give the General a brief account of the current situation."

"Xuzhou has been a battleground since ancient times. Apart from facing the sea to the east, it is attacked from the south, west and north. Its terrain is flat and easy to attack but difficult to defend. Although Kong Beihai in the north is on good terms with Xuzhou, he has done nothing against the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. He just holds the Beihai Sea. He is like water without a source or a tree without roots. He is lucky to be able to protect himself."

"Moreover, Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, has lost his footing and has been repeatedly defeated by Yuan Tan, the son of Yuan Jizhou. He has even lost Pingyuan, the largest county in Qingzhou. It is expected that Tian Kai will be driven out of Qingzhou by Yuan's army within a year."

Cao Bao initially didn't take it seriously, but as he listened, he began to pay attention.

Although he was considered a high-ranking official in Xuzhou, how could his vision and intelligence compare to those of later generations?

The information Liu Feng revealed at this moment was information that Cao Bao could never have gathered completely.

"West of Xuzhou lies Yan and Yu provinces. Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou twice, burning, killing, looting, massacring cities, and even blocking the Si River. General, you are an important general in Xuzhou and have fought many bloody battles with Cao Cao's army. You have long been mortal enemies. Moreover, you are a confidant of Tao Gong, Cao Cao's father's killer. If Cao Cao gains power and occupies Xuzhou, you may not have a place to be buried."

Liu Feng's next words made Cao Bao's expression change.

Although Cao Bao wanted to convince himself that this was just Liu Feng deliberately exaggerating.

But if you think about it carefully, isn't every single thing Liu Feng said true?

Moreover, Cao Bao had already pondered these matters, though not as thoroughly as Liu Feng, he was not entirely ignorant. Even so, Cao Bao remained perplexed and unable to find a solution.

Now that Liu Feng had said that, it stirred up the pent-up frustration he had been thinking about day and night, so it's not hard to understand why he would fall into Liu Feng's trap.

"Of the five commanderies in Xuzhou, Guangling is the most important. However, since the death of its prefect Zhao Yu, this commandery has long been annexed by Yuan Shu, who has even recommended Zhang Chao, the younger brother of Zhang Miao of Chenliu, as the prefect of Guangling. Yuan Shu is a petty and arrogant man who only considers family background when appointing people, not their talents. He also likes to appoint his relatives and friends, and sycophants surround him and hold high positions, while loyal ministers and generals have no place to stand."

"Moreover, he has taken charge of Yangzhou and also calls himself the Earl of Xuzhou. He acts so arrogantly and provokes trouble on all sides. General, what do you think the outcome would be if you followed Yuan Shu?"

As Liu Feng spoke, he observed Cao Bao's expression.

The protagonist of this book, Liu Feng, is a real historical figure. He was Liu Bei's son born to his principal wife when Liu Bei was in his hometown. He was lost during the war in Xuzhou and was eventually found in Hanzhong.

Coincidentally, this son's name was also Liu Feng.

This son was not Kou Feng, the adopted son Liu Bei later took in Jingzhou.

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(End of this chapter)