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

Liu Feng rarely interfered in the selection and appointment of officials.

Either hand it over directly to Deng Fan, the prefect of Xincheng County, or simply let Prime Minister Zhuge Liang coordinate it.

Leave professional matters to professionals.

Changes, especially those in the system of selecting officials, must be made with caution.

It is not that Liu Feng could successfully reform the imperial examination system just by knowing about it.

The biggest difference between the imperial examination system and the selection system of officials in the Han Dynasty and the nine-rank system in the Wei and Jin Dynasties is that:

1. When scholars take the exam, are they recommended and evaluated by court officials, or do they submit their own applications?

2. Is the success or failure of a scholar determined by his family background, origin, fame, wealth, power, or is it all determined by the essay he writes in the examination hall?

To discuss which of these three methods of selecting officials is better, we have to evaluate them from their standpoints.

however.

Once the stance is involved, right or wrong, good or bad, no longer lies in the system of selecting officials itself.

If a new system is forcibly implemented without considering the context of the times, it will inevitably backfire.

The vested interests who have enjoyed the benefits for generations will not give up the benefits they have obtained.

Scholars who have worked hard for more than ten or even dozens of years and are finally about to enjoy the benefits will inevitably feel resentful when they suddenly encounter changes in the selection process.

The lower-class scholars are confused by the institutional reforms and will feel their way forward after wasting time. They will then become resentful and criticize the new system.

This is exactly what Wang Mang’s new policy was like.

Even if you are an emperor, if you take too big a step, you will get into trouble.

Liu Feng was not stupid enough to follow Wang Mang's example and forcefully implement new policies when the conditions were not right.

but.

There is a saying: Practice makes perfect.

The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and the Tang Dynasty inherited the Sui system.

Practiced in the Qin and Sui dynasties, improved in the Han and Tang dynasties.

Whether the imperial examination system could cut off the process of aristocratic families becoming powerful aristocratic families during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties could only be known through practice.

Just right.

Cao Pi was an emperor with centralized ideas.

The aristocratic families of Cao Wei were developing into powerful aristocratic families.

It was a good opportunity for Cao Wei to emulate Qin and Sui to put it into practice.

After unifying the country, with the precedent of Cao Wei, the pressure to hold the imperial examination would be less.

Cao Xiu’s life or death is no longer important to Liu Feng.

It was just like when Xiang Yu captured Liu Bang's father and wanted Liu Bang to surrender, but Liu Bang said, "You and I are sworn brothers. My father is your father. If you want to cook your father, just cook him. After you cook him, give me a share." Xiang Yu was helpless.

Cao Xiu today is just like Liu Taigong of the past.

There is no benefit in killing it, but it is a pity to abandon it.

Can't kill, but can't release easily either.

Then, using Cao Xiu to contribute to the practice of the imperial examination system would not be in vain for Liu Feng to have raised Cao Xiu for several months.

As for whether Cao Xiu would offer the imperial examination system to Cao Pi, and whether Cao Pi would dare to use the imperial examination system to select officials, that would depend on luck.

With this, Liu Feng achieved his goal.

No, Liu Feng will suffer no loss.

After letting Cao Xiu go, Liu Feng shifted his focus back to Hefei.

Hefei.

Liu Feng must be captured.

This concerns Liu Feng's prestige in Jiangdong.

After spending more than half a year and producing 300,000 pieces of Shu brocade, Liu Feng would have worked in vain if he was ultimately defeated at the gates of Hefei. Not only would he not be able to recover the cost he invested, but the officials and people of Jiangdong would definitely consider surrendering to Wei again.

After careful consideration.

Liu Feng also sent people to deliver letters to Guan Xing, Zhou Cang and others in Chaisang to contain Yu Jin and Sima Yi in Pingchun and Yiyang.

The war is about to start.

Jiangdong had an army of 60,000, but lied to the outside world that it had a force of 100,000.

The huge momentum frightened Cao Wei's spies, and secret reports flew into Hefei city like snowflakes.

Since Cao Xiu was captured, Man Chong has been closely following the developments at Ruxukou.

At the same time, he submitted a memorial to Cao Pi, concluding that Liu Feng would attack Hefei after the autumn harvest, and hoped that Cao Pi would send more troops to Shouchun.

Cao Pi agreed with Man Chong's judgment.

In addition to the Yanzhou Governor Jia Kui, Yuzhou Governor Wang Ling, and Xuzhou Governor Zou Qi who were already in Shouchun, more than 10,000 people including Kaiyang Hou Zang Ba and Yangping Prefect Sun Li were recruited to Shouchun, all of whom were under the command of General Man Chong.

Man Chong deployed more than 7,000 troops in Hefei and more than 30,000 troops in Shouchun. Together with Yu Jin and Sima Yi's more than 10,000 troops in Pingchun and Yiyang, the total force was 50,000.

However, Pingchun and Yiyang were too far away from Shouchun, and they had to guard against the Han troops in Jiangxia, so they could not leave without permission.

The number of troops that Man Chong could actually mobilize was less than 40,000.

Although he was used to being outnumbered when facing Jiangdong, this time the commander of the troops was not Sun Quan but Liu Feng, so Man Chong did not dare to take it lightly.

Instigation, bribery, rumors
Man Chong also uses these methods.

For example, Pan Jun and his son were all instigated to rebel by spies sent by Man Chong.

The battlefield is ruthless and every possible means will be used.

"Report! The rebel general Pan Zhang is setting up camp outside the city!"

In Hefei city.

The scouts came hurriedly and informed Man Chong of the military intelligence they had obtained.

Upon hearing Pan Zhang's name, Zhu Shu, the son of Zhu Ling, was furious and asked for a fight: "How dare Pan Zhang, the bastard, come to Hefei! I will ask for 3,000 elite soldiers to go out of the city and capture Pan Zhang alive!"

In the past, Pan Zhang rebelled in Hefei. He took advantage of Zhu Ling's unpreparedness, captured him alive, and then offered Hefei.

Zhu Ling was unwilling to be humiliated and died of shame and anger. In order to seek revenge, his son Zhu Shu gave up his stable life in Luoyang and asked to go to Hefei.

Now that his enemy has come again, Zhu Shu can no longer control his anger. If he cannot capture and kill Pan Zhang, he will not be able to wash away the shame for Zhu Ling.

As furious as Zhu Shu was Zhang Liao's son Zhang Hu.

Pan Zhang rebelled again, and Zhang Liao could not escape the blame.

It was only because Zhang Liao failed to see through Pan Zhang's false surrender and left Pan Zhang in Hefei that Zhu Ling was captured and Hefei fell.
Although Hefei was recaptured, Zhang Liao died of illness in Hefei due to illness while going on the expedition, adding another stain on his resume.

Like Zhu Shu, Zhang Hu also gave up his stable life in Luoyang and asked to go to Hefei to command troops.

Whether it is Zhu Shu or Zhang Hu, they both have an irreconcilable feud with Pan Zhang!
As soon as Zhu Shu finished speaking, Zhang Hu stepped forward and asked for battle.

Looking at the two men's ferocious looks with their eyes wide open, Man Chong did not agree to their request to fight.

"When facing an enemy, anger is a taboo! Both of you are descendants of tiger generals, so you should hold back your anger for a while. Back off!"

Man Chong was intimidating without being angry, and although his tone was not loud, his authority was unquestionable.

Zhu Shu and Zhang Hu hesitated to speak and retreated angrily.

Afterwards, Man Chong issued another order to execute them: "The enemy troops have just arrived and their morale is high. Do not send them out lightly. Anyone who disobeys my order will be executed!"

If the opponent was Sun Quan, Man Chong would not be so cautious.

However, the opponent was Liu Feng, so the tactic of leaving the city to dampen his morale could not be used.

It remains to be seen who will dampen whose enthusiasm.

This is the deterrent power of the commander.

The same Jiangdong soldiers can have different deterrence if they change their leading general.

outside the city.

Dazhai stands near the water.

Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, who had led their troops to be on guard for three days, felt quite puzzled.

"There are only 10,000 of us, and Man Chong doesn't dare to leave the city?"

In the past, when an army of 100,000 surrounded Hefei, Zhang Liao dared to lead 800 people to break through the enemy lines.

Now tens of thousands of people have come to set up camp, but Man Chong remains in Hefei without moving his troops.

It is inevitable that people feel a sense of gap.

Especially Xu Sheng, who was killed by Zhang Liao at Xiaoyaojin and even lost his spear, and has always been thinking about getting back at him.

Pan Zhang sneered, "Man Boning is a cunning old man, how could he leave the city easily? Your Highness has given me two military orders, one is to set up a camp, and the other is to challenge. Now that the camp has been set up, it is time to challenge. Ding Feng will guard the camp, and Xu Sheng will follow me to challenge."

The two generals then led three thousand men and rushed straight to the city of Hefei.

Looking at the tight security on the city wall.

Pan Zhang held up his spear and shouted, "Where is Man Chong? I am your fellow countryman from Yanzhou, and I have come here today to persuade you to surrender."

Man Chong was from Shanyang County, Yanzhou, and Pan Zhang was from Dong County, Yanzhou.

In the past, Zhang Liao and Zhu Ling believed Pan Zhang's surrender easily because their judgment was influenced by Pan Zhang's origin as a native of Dongjun.

The person on duty on the city wall was Zhu Ling's son Zhu Shu.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Although Man Chong had ordered him not to go to the battle, Zhu Shu could not hold back his anger: "Old bastard Pan Zhang, do you recognize me, Zhu Shu?"

Pan Zhang glanced at Zhu Shu and said with disdain: "I am a general, I don't recognize an unknown young man!"

Zhu Shu was furious: "I am Zhu Ling's son!"

Pan Zhang was happy.

I'm worried about having no one to provoke me.

Zhu Shu came to the door on his own initiative.

Pan Zhang laughed loudly: "So you are Zhu Ling's son. I have captured Zhu Ling alive. You are just a child. How dare you bark in front of me? Boy, retreat quickly. I will not kill the old and weak."

Zhu Shu was so angry that his eyes widened: "Old man, I will capture you alive!"

Pan Zhang hooked his finger and said, "Come! Come! Come! I'll be waiting here. If you have the guts, leave the city. If you don't have the guts, go back to Jizhou and don't embarrass yourself again."

"You old bastard, wait for me!" Zhu Shu picked up the spear, turned around and was about to go downstairs and leave the city.

The general on the city wall hurriedly stopped him: "Don't be impulsive! General Zhengdong has issued a strict order. Anyone who disobeys the order and goes to battle will be executed."

Zhu Shu pushed the garrison commander aside and said, "I want to leave the city, who dares to stop me?"

The garrison commander did not dare to let Zhu Shu leave the city, and stopped him again.

During the dispute.

A sharp shout sounded.

It was Man Chong who rushed over after hearing the news.

"Zhu Shu, how dare you disobey my military orders?" Man Chong's eyes were as sharp as a knife, staring at Zhu Shu and making him feel uneasy.

Zhu Cheng said angrily: "General, Pan Zhang humiliated my father. I cannot tolerate it."

"Hmph! If you don't provoke Pan Zhang, how would Pan Zhang know who you are? Get out of the way." Man Chong exposed it in one breath. He had seen many such lame excuses.

Zhu Shu's face turned red after being scolded, and he lowered his head and dared not say anything.

Man Chong walked forward and frowned as he looked at Pan Zhang showing off his might below.

[After the Jiangdong soldiers came ashore, they were still so powerful? 】

This was not the first time that Man Chong had fought against the soldiers of Jiangdong.

In Man Chong's impression, Jiangdong's soldiers were strong on the water, but weak on land. However, what he saw today.

The three thousand men led by Pan Zhang had neat flags and high morale, which was completely different from the previous impression.

What Man Chong didn't know was:
The main reason why this group of Jiangdong soldiers were in their current state was because of Liu Feng's 300,000 pieces of Shu brocade, two pieces of which were advanced before the war and three more pieces after the war.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

No one has trouble with money.

Especially the gangster-style military system unique to Jiangdong. As long as you pay more money, you can kill your loved ones, friends, siblings, not to mention the enemy camp in Hefei.

If it was Zhang Liao in Hefei, he could have launched a surprise attack in advance to "crush their morale", which might have frightened these Jiangdong soldiers.

However, the one in Hefei was Man Chong, who had more intelligence than bravery and was unable to "crush the fighting spirit" like Zhang Liao. Naturally, the morale of these Jiangdong soldiers was high and they looked vulnerable to any of them.

"Pan Zhang, you didn't protect Jiangdong for your former master Sun Quan, but were willing to be Liu Feng's lackey. Being a disloyal minister will surely be despised. Aren't you worried that Liu Feng will abandon you in the future?"

As soon as Man Chong opened his mouth, his plan to sow discord went smoothly.

however.

Facing Man Chong's attempt to sow discord, Pan Zhang did not take it seriously and said sarcastically, "Man Chong, please don't make a fool of yourself with such words of sowing discord. The King of Wu has gone to Chang'an to meet the emperor. I followed His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan to conquer Hefei. How can I be said to be disloyal as a minister?"
His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan is a man of great magnanimity, who is beyond the reach of ordinary people. How could he, as you say, abandon the donkey after it has served its purpose?
Don't use your narrow and despicable mind to guess the character of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, it will only add to the joke.

Now, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan has led 100,000 people from Jiangdong to attack Hefei. If you know what's best for you, you should surrender the city. Otherwise, if the city is captured and you are captured in the future, Cao Pi will not cede the city to redeem you. "

Man Chong's eyes turned cold.

In the past in Fancheng, Man Chong was captured alive together with Cao Ren by Liu Bei, which was Man Chong's biggest stain.

When Pan Zhang brought this up again, Man Chong couldn't help but feel angry.

If Man Chong had not been calm enough, he would have had to leave the city to compete with Pan Zhang.

Zhu Shu pleaded again: "General, Pan Zhang is too arrogant. It would be better to go out of the city and kill him to boost morale."

Man Chong sneered: "It's just bluffing, why bother with it. If Liu Feng really had an army of 100,000, why would he send Pan Zhang here?"

Unable to sow discord between them, Man Chong stopped paying any attention to Pan Zhang.

He only ordered the soldiers to guard the city carefully, and emphasized again that they were not allowed to go into battle without orders. He also rewarded and recognized the garrison commander who blocked Zhu Shu's way.

When Pan Zhang saw Man Chong leave after saying a few words, he couldn't help but frown.

"This old man is really patient!"

Leaving Xu Sheng to continue challenging the enemy at the foot of the city, Pan Zhang returned to the main camp and reported the battle to the rear army, while arranging for soldiers to build siege weapons.

Two days later.

Quan Cong, Sun Jiao and Sun Huan of the secondary army also arrived at Dazhai.

And he brought Liu Feng’s latest military order: attack by force.

When Pan Zhang was in Hefei City in the past, he was very familiar with the internal structure of Hefei City. After receiving the latest military order from Liu Feng, he quickly formulated a plan for a strong attack.

No bells and whistles.

There is only head-on fighting.

They either used ladders to scale the city walls, or used battering rams to attack the city gates, or lined up archers to suppress the defenders on the city walls, or used infantrymen holding shields to fill the trenches.

Pan Zhang even personally commanded the central army, exerting pressure day and night.

They vowed to take advantage of the high morale of the troops and inflict the greatest damage to the defenders of Hefei.

The Wei army blocked them with arrows, wood and stones.

After ten days of fierce attack, until Liu Feng arrived in person, Hefei City remained as impregnable as ever.

"We are incompetent, please punish us, Your Highness."

The six generals Pan Zhang, Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, Quan Cong, Sun Jiao and Sun Huan all entered the commander's tent and pleaded guilty to Liu Feng.

Half a month had passed since Pan Zhang arrived in Hefei City. The soldiers' weapons and morale had suffered a lot, but he was unable to gain an advantage.

The soldiers were exhausted, and coupled with the cold weather and lack of drinking water, many suffered from diarrhea and frostbite. The number of patients reported by each camp was increasing every day.

This brought considerable pressure to Pan Zhang's six generals.

Liu Feng couldn't help but frown.

Considering the need to use troops in winter, Liu Feng prepared a large amount of cold-resistant items such as thick linen, furs, wine, straw mats, coptis chinensis, ginger, garlic, pepper, coal, etc.

Unexpectedly, a large number of soldiers would suffer from diarrhea and frostbite.

Pan Zhang and his companions were terrified, and they hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, please wait for us for a few more days, and we will do our best."

"Let the soldiers retreat back to the main camp."

Liu Feng did not agree to the request of Pan Zhang and others. The fatigue caused by the strong attack, as well as the effects of diarrhea and frostbite, were things that Liu Feng needed to deal with immediately.

Subsequently.

Liu Feng brought Pan Zhang and others and began to inspect the camp.

After this inspection, Liu Feng frowned even more tightly.

After officers such as Wang Ping and Li Ping grew up, Liu Feng basically paid little attention to the establishment and site selection of the camp. He also thought that generals such as Pan Zhang had been in the army for many years, so there should be no major problems in setting up the camp and site selection.

Therefore, he appointed Pan Zhang as the vanguard and Quan Cong as the second-in-command, and Liu Feng supervised the rear army to transport supplies and baggage.

But I didn't expect it.

He was greatly disappointed with the level of setting up the camp and choosing the site by Pan Zhang and others.

To be fair.

In terms of the level of setting up the camp and choosing the site, Pan Zhang and others were considered quite good among the officers in Jiangdong.

However, Liu Feng’s requirements are higher!
In particular, Liu Feng discovered that the large amount of cold-resistant supplies prepared were actually used very sparingly by Pan Zhang and others!

For example.

Liu Feng prepared a large number of straw mats to be laid on the ground of the camp to isolate it from the damp and cold. However, Pan Zhang and others felt that it was "too wasteful" and were worried that they would be scolded by Liu Feng if they used too much, so they used some of them and hoarded some of them.

For another example.

Liu Feng prepared a large amount of ginger to make soup for the soldiers to keep them warm and to reduce diarrhea caused by drinking raw water. Pan Zhang and others also felt that it was "too wasteful" and that the quartermaster would only distribute it at his discretion unless a certain battalion could not bear it.

and many more.

From beginning to end, there is a sense of "petty-mindedness".

"I was negligent."

Liu Feng held his forehead and sighed.

After asking carefully, Liu Feng realized that this was what Sun Quan had done before.

Many of Jiangdong's soldiers were forcibly conscripted Shanyue men, so most of the supplies they prepared were for boosting morale and were for display rather than for real use.

In the subconscious of Pan Zhang and others, they never thought that the supplies prepared by Liu Feng could be used in large quantities, let alone that the forcibly conscripted Shanyue men could be used.

In short: Jiangdong's generals and officers are a group of people who are afraid of being poor!
For example, Pan Zhang, when he was on a campaign or stationed, was accustomed to setting up markets in the army and then selling goods there. He would even rob wealthy soldiers of their property. The same was true for the other officers in Jiangdong.

after all.

Sun Quan's habit has always been: whoever owns the troops should take care of them.

Over time, most of the officers and soldiers in Jiangdong developed the habit of being stingy and petty.

This reminded Liu Feng of a joke in later generations: "You have never been to a formal company, have you?"

Although it was a momentary negligence, fortunately it was discovered in time.

Liu Feng directly took over the large camp outside Hefei City, reorganized the camp, distributed cold-resistant supplies to the camps, and strictly prohibited any withholding.

Apart from that.

Liu Feng even brought his personal guards and medicine into the camps to inquire about the wounded. He did not mind the dirty work and applied medicine to the wounded together with the military doctors.

This made Pan Zhang and others ashamed.

Liu Feng's love for his soldiers also resonated with Zhu Huan.

Zhu Huan was good at taking care of his soldiers and had an extremely strong memory. Not only did he know all of his subordinates, he could even remember their wives. He was known as a human printer.

The difference is: Zhu Huan treated his own troops well, while Liu Feng treated all the soldiers well; even if these soldiers were private soldiers of Pan Zhang and others, Liu Feng treated them equally!
After three days of reorganization.

The morale, which had been hit by fatigue and injuries, was restored, and the army all called him "King of Yan".

Zhu Huan even asked for orders to replace Pan Zhang and Quan Cong to attack the city.

This made Pan Zhang and Quan Cong very anxious.

Although they failed to capture Hefei, they at least attacked it for ten days, and some Wei soldiers in Hefei city were killed or wounded.

Now that you, Zhu Huan, have arrived and are going to take over the siege, isn't that just stealing the credit?
Fortunately, Liu Feng did not discourage the enthusiasm of Pan Zhang and Quan Cong. Instead, he ordered Pan Zhang, Quan Cong and Zhu Huan to lead an army each to attack the east gate, south gate and west gate of Hefei respectively, leaving only the north gate.

When outnumbered, the tactic of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open is most applicable.

He also ordered Zhu Ran and other officers to prepare for battle and take turns.

The addition of 30,000 new troops doubled Man Chong's pressure.

After the fierce attack in the previous ten days, the moat had already been filled up.

Most of the arrows, wood and stones in the city had been used up, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to stop the Han soldiers from climbing up the city walls. The casualties of the Wei army on the city walls were also increasing.

"Why haven't the reinforcements from Shouchun arrived yet?"

Zhu Shu chopped down the Han soldier who climbed up to the top of the city wall with his sword, and was extremely angry.

Shouchun and Hefei are more than 200 miles apart.

In more than half a month, I was able to climb to Hefei.

Zhang Hu standing aside had a gloomy face.

Zhang Hu could guess why reinforcements from Shouchun did not arrive.

In addition to Liu Feng sending a detachment to intercept in advance, the generals in Shouchun must have made mistakes in their judgment of the war.

Just as Zhang Hu expected.

In supporting Shouchun.

Jia Kui, Wang Ling and others had disagreements.

Jia Kui believed that they should march quickly and reach Hefei before Liu Feng's main force arrived.

Wang Ling believed that the attacking party would need to consume a lot of manpower, so they should be good at using tricks and not fight with Liu Feng. Man Chong was an experienced veteran and would be able to defend Hefei. Sending troops after Liu Feng was exhausted from attacking the city would not only achieve twice the result with half the effort, but also prevent Liu Feng from besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements. Even before sending troops, Liu Feng might withdraw his troops because of the cold weather.

Zou Qi had no say and remained neutral.

Zang Ba and Sun Li arrived late and needed time to reorganize their troops, so they did not join the fight.

In the end, Jia Kui failed to convince Wang Ling. In addition, as Lu Xun showed signs of attacking Shouchun, Jia Kui could only wait in Shouchun for the time being.

Normally speaking: Wang Ling’s inference is actually correct.

For example, if Pan Zhang and Quan Cong's 20,000 people were frozen and sick, if Liu Feng had not responded in time, they might have been killed by Man Chong.

What Wang Ling didn’t know was:
In order to securely capture Hefei, Liu Feng spent several months just collecting supplies. He also treated the officers and generals of Jiangdong like his own sons, giving them whatever they asked for.

Unpredictable, attacking it unprepared.

That's it.

Liu Feng deliberately did not use the soldiers of Jingzhou, but only used soldiers from Jiangdong, in order to paralyze the generals of Cao Wei tactically: to make the generals of Cao Wei form an inherent impression of the soldiers of Jiangdong and at the same time develop a contempt for them.

This is different from the previous tactics of besieging a city and attacking reinforcements.

This time, Liu Feng used a strong attack!

Use the most generous rewards, the largest military force, and spare no effort to capture Hefei!

Liu Feng was lucky.

If Shouchun had sent troops one day later, Liu Feng would have had one more day to attack the city in Hefei.

It was not until Hefei City had been attacked for more than 20 days that Wang Ling reached a consensus with Jia Kui, ordering Zang Ba and Sun Li to lead troops to reinforce Hefei by land, while Wang Ling would lead troops to reinforce Hefei by water.

Jia Kui stayed in Shouchun to guard against Lu Xun's attack. (End of this chapter)