Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Liu Feng smiled but said nothing.

None of the generals under Liu Bei were content.

Apart from Zhao Yun, who had been appointed as the governor of Nanyang and needed to guard the northern gate of Jingzhou, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong were all unwilling to admit their age.

As for the others like Guan Ping, Huang Quan, Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, etc., who would be willing to lie down and enjoy retirement?
Even those stationed in various counties, such as Jiangxia County Prefect Guan Xing, Yunnan County Prefect Deng Zhi, Xinggu County Prefect Ma Zhong, and Guiyang County Prefect Chen Shi, who needed to control the counties for Liu Bei, were actively and diligently studying and training their troops, waiting to be recruited by Liu Bei.

As long as Liu Feng doesn't try to take all the credit, there will be a lot of people who want to make progress.

If Liu Bei had not wanted Guan Yu to stay by his side to discuss military and national affairs, Guan Yu would have had to lead the troops into battle himself, and even Liu Feng would not have been able to launch a surprise attack on Guanzhong.

aged?

For Guan Yu who has been fighting all his life, as long as he is alive, there are only five words in his mind: If you don’t accept it, just fight!

The same is true for Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong.

Especially Huang Zhong.

I don’t know if it was influenced by Liu Feng, but Huang Zhong became more and more like Lian Po as he grew older.

In addition, without the worry of having children, Huang Zhong's mind was more pure: eating, drinking, and the Northern Expedition.

Liu Chan, who was standing by, nervously said what Liu Bei wanted to say: "Father, if the Prime Minister and the General both come to Chang'an, and my brother is also in Chang'an, who will assist me?"

Before Liu Bei could speak, Liu Feng said, "Don't worry, Prince. Li Yan, the governor of Dongchuan, is both civil and military, and is loyal to Your Majesty and the Prince. He can help the Prince.

The Prime Minister once praised Jiang Wan, the governor of Jiangyang County, as "a tool for the country, but not a talent for a hundred miles. He governs the country based on the people's safety, not on decoration." He can also help the prince.

Fei Yi and Dong Yun, the officials in Yizhou, are also rare talents in the world and can also be allowed to participate in government affairs.

There are also talented people from various counties, both ministers and civil and military officials, who can all be used by the prince."

Immediately.

Liu Feng patted Liu Chan's shoulder again and said, "My prince, your father is old, and your brother is not good at governing. You are already seventeen years old this year. You can't rely on the prime minister and the generals for everything. You should also learn to select talented people for office.

You can be confident and bold in governing the country. Your father and elder brother will be your strongest support in Chang'an. The prime minister and the general will also be pleased that the prince can govern the country independently.

The Book of Han says: "Where there is a will, there is a way. The prince must not disappoint everyone's earnest expectations!"

With Liu Feng's "encouragement" and "guidance", Liu Chan's nervousness disappeared, and his young face gradually showed more fighting spirit.

Seeing Liu Feng cheering Liu Chan on as if he was telling a child, Liu Bei felt complicated and didn't know what to say.

I want to praise Liu Feng, but I don't want to.

I want to demote Liu Feng, but that’s not appropriate.

All he could do was watch as Liu Chan stood up and saluted Liu Bei to ask for orders, "Your Highness is willing to share your worries!"

it is good!it is good!it is good!
I haven't made a decision yet, and the prince is asking for permission?
If Liu Chan had not asked for his orders, Liu Bei would have hesitated again and again.

After Liu Chan asked for help, Liu Bei didn't want to pour cold water on him.

Although Liu Feng was deliberately guiding Liu Chan, Liu Chan's initiative to ask for orders was also what Liu Bei wanted to see.

Who doesn't want his son to be outstanding?

Who doesn’t want his son to be responsible, filial, and daring?
Especially people like Liu Bei, who conquered the world on horseback, hoped that their offspring would be outstanding.

"I am very pleased that the Crown Prince has such intentions! Please be patient for now and come with me to discuss with the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Chancellery, and then decide how to allocate the troops."

finally.

Liu Bei still couldn't bear to pour cold water on Liu Chan, so he decided to take Liu Chan with him to discuss with Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng.

the end.

Liu Bei glared at Liu Feng again and added, "The King of Yan doesn't need to go."

Liu Feng laughed and bowed his hands to accept the order: "Thank you for your kindness, father. I didn't sleep well last night and I am a little tired today. It's a good time to go back and take a nap."

Industry specializing in surgery.

People's energy is also limited.

With Liu Feng's current civil and military strategies, it is impossible for him to be able to hold both civil and military power like Zhuge Liang and make the country prosperous.

If Liu Feng simply wanted to seize power without considering the survival of the Han Dynasty and the Northern Expedition, he could actually do it. However, doing so would not only cause chaos in the government, but would also lead to the people's livelihood being in misery.

This was not what Liu Feng wanted.

What Liu Feng wanted was a Han Dynasty that could be unified, not a Han Dynasty that could never be unified in his lifetime.

If you don't have the skills, you shouldn't take on the job.

The most important thing for Liu Feng at the moment is not to seize power, but to eliminate the Cao Wei forces entrenched in Yongliang in the most efficient way.

Liu Feng had no idea what Liu Bei, Liu Chan, Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng discussed specifically.

All we know is that a few days later, Liu Bei made large-scale transfers and promotions of personnel in the court and counties.

[Gangneung Regency System]

Crown Prince Liu Chan held the seal of regent and was stationed in Jiangling, supervising the affairs of the two states of Jing and Yizhou, namely the 17 counties of Yizhou and the 9 counties of Jingzhou (Nanyang County, Xiangyang County, Nan County, Jiangxia County, Yidu County, Wuling County, Lingling County, Guiyang County, Changsha County).

Fa Zheng was the Minister of the Chancellery, stationed in Jiangling, and in charge of all officials of the imperial court in Jiangling.

Huang Zhong was appointed General Wei, stationed in Jiangling, and commanded the northern and southern armies of the Jiangling Imperial City.

Zhang Fei was appointed as the Inspector of the Imperial Capital and stationed in Jiangling, where he supervised the upper and lower classes.

Zhao Yun was transferred to be the rear general, stationed in Wancheng, and concurrently served as the prefect of Nanyang.

Fei Yi was transferred to be the deputy governor of Jingzhou, stationed in Jiangling, and was in charge of the government affairs of Jingzhou.

Li Yan was transferred to be the governor of Jingzhou, stationed in Jiangling, and in charge of the military affairs of Jingzhou.

Dong Yun was transferred to be the governor of Jingzhou, stationed in Jiangling, and was in charge of Jingzhou's documents.

Ma Liang was transferred to be the Secretary of State and stationed in Jiangling to assist Liu Chan in governing the country.

Jiang Wan was transferred to be the Secretary of State and stationed in Jiangling to assist Liu Chan in governing the country.

【Chang'an Military and Political Center】

Liu Bei was stationed in Chang'an and took charge of the overall situation.

Zhuge Liang was the prime minister, stationed in Chang'an, coordinating national affairs.

Guan Yu was the general, stationed in Chang'an, coordinating national military affairs.

Ma Chao was General of Cavalry, stationed in Chang'an, and served as Governor of Liang Province.

Liu Feng was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, stationed in Chang'an, and appointed Governor of Yongzhou. He also designated Xincheng County as a county directly under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Yan.

Wei Yan was promoted to General Zheng Bei, stationed in Huaili, and appointed governor of Fufeng.

Meng Da was transferred to be General Zhenxi, stationed in Ji County, and appointed as the prefect of Tianshui.

The rest of the court and Jingyi officials were either transferred horizontally or promoted.

Considering that Yongliang’s people’s livelihood and economy have not yet recovered.

Apart from the soldiers sent by Liu Feng and Liu Chan to Yongliang, Liu Bei did not recruit any more soldiers from Jing and Yi states to Yongliang.

During the period when Liu Bei entered Chang'an and carried out large-scale personnel adjustments.

Cao Pi also hurried back to Luoyang.

Cao Pi was not very sad about losing Wancheng.

Nanyang is in ruins and is no longer what it was twenty years ago.

Even most of the scholars and civilians in Nanyang were relocated to Yingchuan. Those with family background and talent became officials, while those without family background and talent settled in the fields.

Although Cao Wei's imprisonment of scholars and civilians was quite brutal, it was very effective in terms of military operations.

The city is lost if it is lost.

As long as the person is still there, he can take it back at any time.

However, the loss of Chang'an made Cao Pi extremely fearful.

In addition to the fact that Chang'an was the old capital of the Han Dynasty, which enhanced Liu Bei's political reputation, Chang'an was also far away from Luoyang. If he did not send heavy troops to guard the pass, he might face threats from Liu Bei at any time.

The most important thing is: Liu Bei has the opportunity to obtain a war horse!

Cavalry was originally Cao Pi's advantage, and now Liu Bei has the opportunity to obtain war horses.

And we learned from Xu Huang, Xiahou Shang and others that Liu Feng had formed a cavalry with the weak Dian horses, and it turned out that each of these cavalrymen could shoot with both hands!
This shocked Cao Pi!

Although he didn't know the specific reason, Cao Pi could guess that Liu Feng must have mastered some kind of horse harness that could make it easier for cavalrymen to stabilize their bodies on their horses.

This means: in time, Cao Pi’s cavalry advantage will no longer exist!
Without the advantage of cavalry, how can we compete with Liu Bei?
The intelligence sent back by the spies, such as "Liu Bei entered Chang'an" and "Guan Yu entered Chang'an", also gave Cao Pi a headache and irritation.

Although Liu Bei did not mobilize a large number of troops to Chang'an, Cao Pi did not dare to mobilize a large number of troops to Luoyang.

Wancheng must be defended all the way.

We also have to guard against Shiyang all the way.

Especially since there was news coming from Jingzhou that "Liu Chan was the regent", Cao Pi did not dare to take it lightly.

Who knows whether Liu Bei will use the same trick again: deliberately go to Chang'an to create the illusion that he wants to pacify Yongliang and take Tongguan, but in fact he is making a feint to the east and attacking in the west to seize Yuzhou, Huainan and other places.

The current stage is a strategic defensive stage. Cao Pi must guard against Liu Bei closely and cannot let Liu Bei play tricks of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west.

As for Yongzhou and Liangzhou, although Cao Zhen and others were still holding on, Cao Pi did not hold out much hope.

Let’s not talk about Liangzhou, which is too far away and out of reach, and it has rebelled frequently.

If Meng Jian had not been an old friend of Zhuge Liang, he would have been chopped off by the people of Liangzhou and presented to Liu Bei.

As for stability, if Cao Zhen did not have troops at his disposal, he would also have raised his flag to respond to Liu Bei.

Cao Pi could only hope silently that Cao Zhen and Meng Jian could hold on a little longer and that Liu Bei would not be able to take over Yongliang too easily.

In this way, we can compete with Liu Bei in development and foundation, and turn strategic defense into strategic offense.

Luoyang Palace.

After entangled with Queen Guo and other beauties, Cao Pi vented his anger and summoned Sima Yi.

"Zhongda, Boren came to see me in broad daylight and recommended King Rencheng." Cao Pi's tone was indifferent, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Sima Yi was slightly surprised.

Xiahou Shang recommended Cao Zhang? Could it be that he is dissatisfied with Your Majesty?
Sima Yi did not dare to answer carelessly when it came to the conflict between the royal families of Cao Wei. He said carefully, "I wonder what position the General Zhengnan recommended Prince Rencheng to take?"

Cao Pi snorted lightly: "He didn't mention the specific position, but just mentioned that Prince Rencheng was brave. When the late emperor was in Hanzhong, he transferred Prince Rencheng to Chang'an, hoping that Prince Rencheng would compete with Liu Feng."

Sima Yi heard a hint of dissatisfaction in Cao Pi's tone.

Although Liu Bei had won several battles, there were still many great generals in the court. However, Xiahou Shang felt that only Cao Zhang could defeat Liu Feng. It seemed that he was recommending a powerful general to Cao Pi, but in fact he was slapping Cao Pi in the face.

The gist of it is: If Cao Pi had not abandoned Cao Zhang and kept him like a tiger in a cage, how could Liu Feng have been so arrogant? If Cao Zhang had continued to be kept in captivity, his claws and teeth would have been broken.

Sima Yi suddenly felt a headache.

If he agreed with Xiahou Shang, Cao Pi would be dissatisfied.

If you oppose Xiahou Shang, you will offend people.

For Sima Yi, who knew how to advance and retreat to protect himself, the best strategy was to make everyone happy. Anything else might bring disaster to the Sima family.

Just like last time when he advised Cao Pi to withdraw his troops, Sima Yi used the words of Jia Xu and Zhong Yao to persuade him, perfectly preserving himself and making great contributions.

Think about it carefully.

Sima Yi chose his words carefully and said, "The general has suffered setbacks at Ruxukou and Wancheng, and his morale is not as high as before. Your Majesty needs to decide on a candidate who can succeed the general and take charge of the internal and external military affairs."

Sima Yi will avoid disaster.

There are currently only four suitable candidates who can succeed the general and take charge of internal and external military affairs: General Cao Zhen, General Xiahou Shang, General Cao Xiu, and General Cao Hong.

however.

Cao Pi was still resentful towards Cao Hong because he had failed to borrow money from him before. Cao Hong was definitely not suitable to succeed the general.

The only choice left is between Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang and Cao Xiu.

As for Cao Zhen, he is still in Chiyang.

The implication is: Since Xiahou Shang wants to recommend Cao Zhang, it is better to let Cao Zhang replace Cao Zhen. Anyway, Cao Zhen is just delaying time in Chiyang, and if Cao Zhang goes to Chiyang, he can only delay time as well.

He would neither allow Cao Zhang to achieve great achievements nor allow him to be abandoned.

Cao Pi understood: "I understand Zhongda's intention. But the King of Rencheng may not be willing to listen to my instructions."

When he was not needed, he was sent to Rencheng State to be kept in captivity. When he was needed, he was sent to Yongzhou to clean up the mess. If Cao Pi was Cao Zhang, he would definitely be resentful.

Sima Yi saw that Cao Pi understood, so he said: "It is better to provoke the general than to invite him. You can spread rumors that Liu Feng is making a lot of nonsense in Chang'an, saying that Cao Zhen is incompetent and Prince Rencheng is cowardly, so as to provoke Prince Rencheng to volunteer to go to Yongzhou."

Cao Pi stroked his hand and said, "Okay! I'll leave this matter to Zhongda. Don't let me down."

Sima Yi dared not disobey the order and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely handle this matter."

Although re-employing Cao Zhang might further expand Cao Zhang's prestige in the army, Cao Pi currently wants Cao Zhang to replace Cao Zhen.

If Cao Zhen was suppressed in Yongzhou all the time, it would seriously affect Cao Zhen's prestige in the army, and Cao Pi would find it difficult to promote him; on the contrary, letting Cao Zhang take over Cao Zhen's place and suffer in Yongzhou would be more in line with Cao Pi's political needs.

While Cao Zhen was still able to organize the remaining troops to resist in the Chiyang area after Liu Feng's surprise attack on Chang'an, Cao Pi promoted Cao Zhen because of his "fighting to the death and unyielding spirit".

Just let Cao Zhang take over this mess in Yongzhou.

Sima Yi's plan was very effective.

Since Xiahou Shang was determined to recommend Cao Zhang, when the rumors released by Sima Yi reached Xiahou Shang's ears, he sent someone to deliver them to Rencheng State overnight.

He even exaggerated by saying that "Liu Feng was rampant in Guanzhong, laughing at Cao Zhen's lack of strategy and Cao Zhang's lack of courage." He also laughed at "the Cao brothers, who were eunuchs, could only recite poems and write essays, but could not ride horses and bend bows."

Cao Zhang was immediately furious and wrote three letters in three days, asking for permission to enter Yongzhou.

Cao Pi took the opportunity to transfer Cao Zhang to Luoyang, and was even more "generous" to order Cao Zhang to replace Cao Zhen as the General of the Western Expedition and in charge of the military affairs of Yongliang.

Cao Zhang was not suspicious either.

Or in other words: Cao Zhang knew that Cao Pi was setting a trap, but he had to pretend that he didn't know about it. If there was no trap, Cao Zhang would have no chance to leave Rencheng State and continue to lead the army. It's nothing more than pretending not to know.

Both the Han and Wei dynasties were actively carrying out personnel arrangements.

Since no major war occurred, the two sides entered a brief period of peace.

Cao Pi suffered defeat after defeat and had to switch to a strategic defense, avoiding fighting whenever possible.

Liu Bei used troops one after another, and the map expanded too quickly, which caused him to have some indigestion. He would avoid fighting if he could avoid it, and would avoid taking action if he could avoid using words.

Spring passes and autumn comes, cold comes and summer comes.

In late autumn (224), Meng Jian, the governor of Liang Province of Cao Wei, was forced to surrender Liang Province under internal and external pressure on the condition that Cao Wei's generals and officials such as Hao Zhao and You Chu would be allowed to leave Liang Province safely.

Liu Bei's Liangzhou governor Ma Chao officially moved into Jincheng and supervised the Liangzhou counties.

Hao Zhao, You Chu and others first joined forces with generals such as Yang Qiu, Fei Yao, Guo Huai, Hu Zun, Zhou Tai, and Dai Ling in the north of Anding, and then went south along the Jing River to Chiyang to join forces with Cao Zhang and others who succeeded Cao Zhen.

Just when Liu Feng thought that Cao Zhang was going to march south to lead his troops, Cao Zhang suddenly gave up Chiyang and adopted the strategy of You Chu, the former governor of Longxi County of Cao Wei, and led his troops to withdraw eastward to Linjin County of Fengyi County.

Linjin County is located more than 100 miles northwest of Tongguan. It is connected to Tongguan by land and water, and the land in the county is fertile and suitable for farming.

Obviously.

Cao Zhang did not fight to the death with Liu Feng in Chiyang as Cao Pi had expected, but chose to preserve his military strength and retreat to Linjin to wait for the opportunity.

This way.

Cao Zhang almost integrated the remaining forces of Cao Wei in Yongliang. He had Guo Huai and You Chu in literature and Yang Qiu, Fei Yao, Hu Zun, Zhou Tai, and Dai Ling in military. He also had more than 10,000 soldiers who were still willing to follow Cao Wei after several battles in Guanzhong.

The power should not be underestimated!
Have to admit.

Cao Zhang is indeed a fierce tiger.

A tiger whose sharp teeth and claws have not been lost even after being kept in captivity by Cao Pi for several years.

On the contrary, after being kept in captivity by Cao Pi, he became more scheming in addition to his bravery, and he actually integrated the remaining officials and soldiers of Yongliang together.

Cao Zhang's retreat was actually a good thing for both sides.

Liu Bei's side could more easily appease Yongliang, and Cao Zhang also regained control of the military power.

As for Cao Pi.

Cao Pi had no way to blame Cao Zhang now.

You said Cao Zhang didn't try his best?
Cao Zhang brought more than 10,000 officials and soldiers from Yongliang to Linjin safely, forming a pincer attack with Tongguan. No matter how you look at it, he had made contributions without any faults.

You can't continue to fight with Liu Feng in Chiyang without thinking?
As for Liu Bei getting the opportunity to conquer Yongliang, that was something that was destined to happen long ago. Whether he withdrew to Linju or not could not stop Liu Bei from conquering Yongliang.

It's just the difference between a little later and a little earlier.

Cao Zhang is not stupid enough to really risk his life to delay time. What Cao Zhang cares more about is how to make these more than 10,000 soldiers form effective combat effectiveness.

Only if we have soldiers and generals and can win battles, we will have a chance to restore our military prestige!

Without the threat of Cao Wei's remnants in the north of Chang'an, Liu Feng found Liu Bei and returned to Xincheng to visit his relatives.

"Going back to Xincheng to visit relatives?"

Liu Bei had a strange look in his eyes, and his intuition told him that Liu Feng was not just visiting relatives as he seemed.

"Earlier, I asked you to bring your wife and children to Chang'an, but you kept making excuses for not wanting to trouble them. Now you miss them again? Tell me the truth, what do you want to do?"

Liu Feng said sincerely, "Father, I am just going to Xincheng to visit my relatives. What else can I do?"

"Haha." Liu Bei's face turned serious: "Do you think I will believe it?"

Seeing Liu Bei's expression of "Don't try to deceive me", Liu Feng praised: "Father is wise, no one can deceive you."

Liu Bei glared at him and said, "Stop talking nonsense and speak seriously!"

Liu Feng then spoke slowly: "A few days ago, Deng Ai sent someone to deliver a letter to me, recommending his good friend Shi Bao, saying that Shi Bao's talent is ten times better than his.

I thought, a man who is ten times more talented than Deng Ai must be a rare talent in the world. I must go and see him in person, so as not to disappoint such a wise man. "

Liu Bei was suspicious and said, "The claim that he is ten times better is just flattery. Why should we take it seriously? Is Shi Bao's talent really worth my son's personal trip to Xincheng? If you keep hiding it, I will let you go to Liangzhou."

Liu Feng spread his hands and said, "Well, I didn't tell the truth just now. If we only talk about Shi Bao's ability, then I don't need to go to Xincheng in person. If we talk about Shi Bao's identity, then I have to go there in person."

Liu Bei's tone was stern: "My son, do you suspect that Shi Bao is a spy sent by Cao Wei? Wait. If he was just a spy, there would be no need for my son to go there in person. What do you want to do?"

Seeing Liu Feng hiding something, Liu Bei frowned again.

Liu Feng hurriedly said, "Father, don't get excited. I just want to try my luck. If this succeeds, Jiangdong may be within our grasp."

Koto?

Liu Bei was confused for a moment: "You want to take Jiangdong? Sun Quan can only survive in Jiangdong now, why bother? The most important thing is to find a way to defeat Cao Zhang in Linjin and Zhang He in Tongguan."

Liu Feng said with a smile: "My father is in Chang'an, the general has also come to Chang'an, the prime minister and the general of the cavalry are also here, why should I bother to deal with Cao Zhang and Zhang He?

What's more, I don't know which bastard spread the rumor that I was making nonsense and mocking Cao Zhang in Chang'an, and Cao Zhang even swore that he would never reconcile with me.

I, your son, just went to avoid the limelight and sent people to spread rumors saying "I am far inferior to Cao Zhang" to calm Cao Zhang's anger.

Compared with Cao Zhang and Zhang He, I still think it is more appropriate to kill Sun Quan first. Of course, this also depends on luck. If luck is not good, I will return to Chang'an. "

Seeing that Liu Feng was hiding his intention and still didn't say what he wanted to do specifically.

Liu Bei was speechless.

You proposed to keep me and others in Chang'an, but you ran away first?
Thinking of Liu Feng's strategy of "making a feint to the east and attacking in the west", Liu Bei felt relieved again.

How could he hide it from others if he didn't create the atmosphere that Liu Bei wanted to shift the strategic focus to Guanzhong?
After a while.

Liu Bei sighed, "Forget it. Since my son has his own ideas, I won't ask any more questions. But my son has become a thorn in Cao Pi's side, and Cao Pi will definitely try every means to get rid of you. Don't imitate Sun Ce's carelessness in the past. If my son makes a mistake, the Northern Expedition will be over."

Liu Feng smiled and said, "Father, please do not worry too much. With the example of Sun Ce, how can I be arrogant and careless? I also want to return to Zhuo County to see the place where father grew up."

Liu Feng has always been very clear about what he is good at.

When it comes to civil administration, Liu Feng was only half-baked, and with wise men like Zhuge Liang around, there was no need for Liu Feng to work so hard.

In terms of military strategy, although Liu Feng did not dare to compare himself with Han Xin, he also believed that he could compete with the current heroes of Wei and Wu.

Spend your energy on cultural governance?

Liu Feng wouldn't be so idle.

Every profession has its specialization; if it is not used, it will be wasted.

At least before destroying Wu and Wei, Liu Feng would not consider matters of civil governance. The most important thing was to use military strategies to the fullest extent and unify the world as soon as possible.

As for the fact that Liu Feng was responsible for the destruction of Wu and Wei, isn’t it too exaggerated?
That’s not what Liu Feng needs to consider.

A real man never hesitates, he just does it if he doesn't agree. (End of this chapter)