My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 532 The Army Marches on Shangyong
This time, the troops were actually divided into two routes, one by land and the other by water.

Unlike before, this time the attack started by land, while the navy, though prepared, was slow to launch its offensive.

The reason for this is that it is adapted to local conditions.

The journey from Xiangyang to Shangyong is indeed better by land than by water.

In the original timeline, Liu Feng, who was stationed in Shangyong, actually had the means to aid Guan Yu, but the pressure on him was indeed immense.

To aid Guan Yu, one must have the full support of Meng Da and the Shen family. Even then, it would only be the bare minimum: to advance to at least south of Fangling, meet Guan Yu who had fled there, and save his life.

As for a large army, forget about it. Unless Guan Yu is clear-headed and takes the route through Shangyong when he retreats, there might be a chance to preserve some of his strength. Otherwise, even if Han Xin were resurrected or Zhang Liang were reborn, it would probably be too late to turn the tide.

Ultimately, it's because the road between Shangyong and Xiangyang is not easy to travel.

The Mian River, in particular, is full of dangerous shoals and has a terrain that is similar to the Yellow River's winding course, but even more compact. Not to mention transporting troops, even transporting grain requires extreme caution and slow boating. With detours, the speed is really not as fast as that of land routes.

However, marching overland still requires laborers and wagons, which consumes a lot of resources.

The powerful clans of Shangyong were only subdued by Liu Bei's military strength. Liu Feng had no prestige in Shangyong, so why would Meng Da and the Shen family go to such lengths to help him rescue Guan Yu?

Furthermore, given that Fa Zheng had just died, Meng Da was deeply saddened by the loss of his elder brother, which inevitably made him more cautious and conservative. It is not surprising that he instigated Liu Feng to abandon the rescue.

Otherwise, given Meng Da's abilities, if he had fully assisted Liu Feng, the latter might have had a chance to raise one or two thousand men to help, but no more. However, this would have been enough to save Guan Yu's life, which is one of the underlying reasons why Liu Feng later harbored such resentment towards Meng Da.

Therefore, to sum it up in one sentence: it's possible to save him, but at most, only Guan Yu's life can be saved; anything else is out of the question. Moreover, the cost of saving him would be extremely high and heavy, so ultimately, the rescue attempt would have to fall through.

However, this time the person who led the troops was Liu Feng, and he even used his personal guards.

The vanguard of two thousand men, led by Xu Chu, along with a host of military officers and attendants, were all eager and excited, hoping to make contributions and achieve great things for Liu Feng.

To facilitate marching, apart from one hundred sets of iron armor, the rest of the soldiers were lightly equipped, wearing only a leather torso, which was a leather armor to protect the torso. It weighed only fifteen pounds. After removing the shoulder, arm and leg guards, the weight of the leather torso was no more than ten kilograms. In an emergency, they could even march while wearing the armor.

Besides Xu Chu leading the charge, the second force was led by Jia Bin, a subordinate of Jia Kui, with 4,000 elite troops.

Dong Xi's naval forces will advance together with Zu Lang's third force, though Zu Lang will still take the land route. This will ensure that, in the best-case scenario—a successful surprise attack followed by swift control of the entire Shangyong territory—or in the worst-case scenario—a failed surprise attack followed by the elimination of Shangyong's outer flanks and subsequent siege of Shangyong.

As for the follow-up troops in Xiangyang, they have all been prepared for Level A combat readiness, ensuring they can depart at any time to reinforce the Shangyong war zone. At the same time, the civil and military authorities in Xiangyang are also operating at high speed, conscripting laborers, mobilizing vehicles and horses, planning supply routes, and setting up supply depots along the way.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, awaiting reports from the front lines.

At this time, Xu Chu, with the help of the Kuai and Deng families, had successfully entered Fangling and taken control of the Shen family's thousand-strong garrison, successfully disarming them.

In fact, the Shen family was the same as most warlords. Although they had more than 10,000 troops, the most capable, strongest, and most organized were the 4,000 elite soldiers from Shangyong.

Of those four thousand men, almost all the mid- to high-ranking officers were members of the Shen family, and the soldiers below them were all recruited from the Shen family's private army. They were selected from the bravest and most skilled soldiers, and their equipment was naturally the best.

Almost every senior officer in the Shen family was equipped with a set of iron armor, and their personal guards were also fully equipped with leather armor. Even ordinary soldiers had a leather coat, which shows that the Shen family had done everything they could to equip these elite aces.

The most outrageous thing is that the Shen family army actually has an entire armored army equipped with five hundred sets of iron armor.

Given the Shen family's status and strength, it would have been a pipe dream for a local tycoon from Shangyong to produce 500 sets of iron armor.

But what can you do when there are iron mines in Shangyong?
Moreover, Shangyong not only has iron mines, but also a supporting smelting center and a number of blacksmith workshops capable of forging swords, long-handled weapons, iron armor, and farm tools.

It was thanks to this supporting iron smelting and forging industry that the Shen family was able to assemble so many iron armors, almost all of which were invested in these elite direct subordinates.

Compared to the garrison in Shangyong, the thousand men in Fangling were in a much worse situation. Apart from the few senior officers who had a set of iron armor, including their personal guards, they only had a few dozen sets of full leather armor and a little over a hundred sets of leather suits. This shows how huge the difference was.

Although Xu Chu's troops were lightly armed, their combat strength far surpassed that of the thousand garrison in Fangling, not to mention the presence of local strongmen like the Kuai and Deng families as inside agents.

In his dream, the Shen family's thousand-strong garrison was completely surrounded, and the senior officers at the head were all lifted off their beds.

"This success is largely thanks to Mr. Kuai and Mr. Deng."

Xu Chu was tall and strong, like a bear, and he looked majestic just standing there.

Yet this fierce general was quite polite and respectful to the leaders of the Kuai and Deng clans.

It is clear that Xu Chu was never a reckless person.

The novel portrays Xu Chu as a crude, reckless, greedy, and bloodthirsty person, which is truly unfair to Xu Chu.

Imagine how someone with no brains could gain Cao Cao's trust so much, and how he could receive Cao Pi's respect and confidence without any gaps after Cao Cao's death.

It should be noted that Xu Chu never showed any respect to anyone while Cao Cao was alive, including Cao Pi.

Cao Hong certainly had a lot to say about how petty Cao Pi was.

Compared to Xu Chu, Cao Hong was truly all brawn and no brains.

In one respect, Xu Chu was similar to Zhang Fei in that he respected the gentry. Therefore, he did not look down on the Kuai and Deng clans because of Liu Feng's favor, nor did he try to take credit for their achievements.

After receiving Xu Chu's affirmation, Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang quickly bowed to express their gratitude and then presented a gift list.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Xu Chu's face. With the battle raging, he had no time for such nonsense.

To be honest, Liu Feng treated his trusted confidants quite well. As long as they were honest, capable, and incorruptible, Liu Feng would never let them suffer.

Every year, in addition to allocating large amounts of wealth, grain, cloth, and even snow salt, sugar, and sesame oil, Liu Feng also generously gave away rare and precious treasures as rewards.

Previously, when Jiaozhou offered tribute, Liu Feng generously rewarded his officials, and the number of small rewards he bestowed on them at other times was countless. Moreover, Liu Feng's rewards often took into account the lower and middle ranks, and in absolute terms, the rewards received by the lower and middle ranks were no less than those received by the upper and middle ranks. In addition, with a strict anti-corruption campaign, the officials within the jurisdiction of the Left General's headquarters were much more honest than those in other places.

Xu Chu disapproved of this arrangement, but he didn't confront them directly. Instead, he accepted the gift list and casually glanced through it.

To his surprise, the gift list presented by the two men was not filled with rare treasures, money, or cloth, but rather with carriages, horses, grain, meat such as pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks, as well as wine, hemostatic medicine, bandages, and other supplies.

Xu Chu looked at the two of them in surprise, only to find that Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang were also smiling at him.

Xu Chu immediately cupped his hands in thanks and said, "You two gentlemen are very kind. I am deeply grateful. I will certainly repay your kindness to my lord."

It was almost exactly the same as what he had said before, but this time it came out much more sincerely.

The supplies prepared by Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang will certainly be of some help, if not a huge one.

In ancient times, wine, meat, and wealth were the best way to boost morale.

Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang smiled with satisfaction. They had made such careful preparations, all for the sake of Xu Chu's gratitude.
Throughout Jingzhou, everyone knew that Xu Chu was Liu Feng's trusted general and personal bodyguard.

This time, Liu Feng released him, and the opponent was a local tycoon like the Shen family of Shangyong. It was obviously an opportunity for Xu Chu to gain merit. How could Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang not carefully flatter a military man who could be so favored and biased by the General of the Left?

After seeing Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang off, Xu Chu immediately ordered that all the wine and meat be distributed.

Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang prepared a large quantity of supplies, while Xu Chu only brought two thousand men.

Therefore, each of Xu Chu's ten men could receive a jar of wine, two catties of meat, some pickled vegetables, and plenty of rice.

For the lower-ranking soldiers, this was like celebrating the New Year; they immediately took turns eating in shifts.

It wasn't that Xu Chu didn't trust Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang, but rather that Liu Feng's army had always been like this, doing a very good job in terms of standardization.

The soldiers on duty and on guard wouldn't be at a disadvantage either. Although they wouldn't get any alcohol, they wouldn't lack meat, and they would also receive allowances. In fact, some soldiers would rather get the allowances than drink alcohol.

After resting for a night in Fangling, Xu Chu led his troops towards Shangyong at dawn the next day. The troop now included several large carts loaded with the remaining supplies sent by Kuai Zhen and Deng Liang. Meanwhile, the two men continued to gather provisions and supplies in Fangling, preparing for the arrival of the main army.

Fangling is not far from Shangyong; it is more than half the distance from Xiangyang to Fangling, and the road is much easier to travel.

After leaving Fangling, Xu Chu first forced his troops to march for two days and arrived at the outskirts of Shangyong. When they were only half a day away from Shangyong, they set up camp and rested to allow the soldiers to recover their strength. At the same time, they sent out scouts to control the surrounding area and block news, while waiting for Pang Tong's men to come and meet them.

Sure enough, not long after, Pang Tong's men took the initiative to contact Xu Chu.

The visitor was a member of the Pang family, named Pang Mian.

Upon seeing Xu Chu, he took out a silk scroll from his bosom and handed it to him.

Xu Chu opened it and saw that it contained a city defense map of Shangyong City, as well as a map of troop deployment.

Xu Chu was overjoyed and immediately began to inquire in detail.

After listening, Xu Chu was amazed by Liu Feng's discerning eye.

Xu Chu originally thought that Pang Tong was just lucky to be born into the Pang family and that Liu Feng was trying to win over the gentry of Jingzhou, which is why he was given such special treatment and was able to be on par with Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun.

But now it seems I was just being foolish.

A fool couldn't possibly uncover the Shen family's stronghold right under their noses, without even alerting them. If it weren't for the fear of ruining the grand plan, Pang Tong might have even assembled a force to launch a coordinated attack from within and without to seize the city gate.

In fact, given Pang Tong's seemingly gentle but actually firm and impetuous personality, he might have actually done such a thing if Liu Feng hadn't pointed it out to him several times.

Ironically, Liu Bei in history fell for this tactic and placed great trust in Pang Tong.

Liu Bei was essentially a good person. He had openly wanted to seize Yizhou, but after entering Shu, he delayed taking action and even helped Liu Zhang fight Zhang Lu.

Ultimately, he still hesitated.

If Pang Tong hadn't forced him to make a decision at this point, and if Zhang Song hadn't happened to expose himself at this time, Liu Bei would have been trapped and died in Fucheng if he hadn't started the uprising. Liu Bei might have really continued to drag things out.

Fortunately, after being pointed out by Liu Feng, Pang Tong, although he did not completely get rid of his bad habit of being rash, did take Liu Feng's words to heart to some extent.

In handling matters in Shangyong this time, he prioritized stability.

Although they saw that many minor aristocratic families and powerful clans in Shangyong City deeply resented the Shen family, they were still not tempted to join forces, but only inquired about the city's defenses and troop deployment.

That night, Xu Chu led his personal guards ahead, and the army marched under cover of darkness, arriving outside Shangyong City before dawn.

Then, they used long ropes and grappling hooks to hook onto the battlements, quietly climbed up, secured the ropes, and helped the next group of people climb the wall. At the same time, they used blue goggles to transport equipment.

In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, over a hundred elite soldiers of Liu Feng's army had already climbed up the city wall, along with thirty sets of iron armor, long and short weapons, and shields.

Fifty men were left behind to support the rest of the troops as they continued to scale the city walls, while the others, including thirty elite soldiers in iron armor, headed towards the city gate.

Scouts cleared the way along the route, and they quietly dealt with the Shen family's men on night watch in the city tower.

Although these troops had some training, they hadn't fought in battle for many years. They usually only bullied commoners and suppressed powerful families. The most dangerous battles they had fought were small-scale skirmishes with the barbarian tribes of the four prefectures. Moreover, Shangyong City hadn't been attacked for over a century. The last time it was attacked was decades ago during the Ba people's uprising. Naturally, these Shen family troops were extremely lax.

Xu Chu's raiding squad managed to evade alerting no one along the way, and even after the city gates were opened, the Shen family's retainers inside the city did not notice anything amiss.

"Once we enter the city, we shall act in accordance with your orders!"

As the dark city gates were opened, a hint of joy flashed across Xu Chu's face. He ordered the officers and generals around him, "Remember not to disturb the people. You have all followed me for a long time. If anyone violates this rule, do not blame me for not showing any mercy!"

"Here!"

The generals behind Xu Chu responded in unison!

(End of this chapter)