Chapter 14: Offering Strategies for Agricultural Settlement

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Liu Feng seized the opportunity to offer his advice. “Father, Xuzhou has only just emerged from the ravages of war. Cao, the Governor of Yan Province, is bloodthirsty and brutal; wherever he passes, he leaves slaughter in his wake. Fewer than one in ten commoners and soldiers survive. In my estimation, setting aside the Commanderies and Kingdoms of Guangling and Langya, Xiapi has suffered somewhat less, while Donghai Commandery has lost more than half its population. As for the Kingdom of Pengcheng, scarcely a single county under its jurisdiction has escaped unscathed.”

“Next year, apart from the taxes that may be expected from the Kingdom of Xiapi and the surviving half of Donghai Commandery, I fear there will be no other revenue at all. The slightest disturbance could bring famine.”

Liu Bei let out a long sigh. What Liu Feng had said was precisely what weighed upon his own heart.

He had barely managed to devise one possible countermeasure, and this happened to be the perfect opportunity to ask Liu Feng’s opinion.

“My son, I am considering moving the provincial seat to Xiapi and appointing Cao Bao as Chancellor of Xiapi. What do you think?”

Liu Feng was overjoyed—not because his father’s plan was especially sound, but because of his attitude.

Big-Ears was actually willing to consult him on a matter of such importance.

“Father, I believe that would be unwise.”

Liu Feng had seen this idea in the historical records long ago.

Though the plan could hardly be called excellent, Liu Bei had indeed made the best of it within those constraints.

It not only solved the problem of food supplies but also temporarily eased the tension between Liu Bei and Cao Bao.

If Yuan Shu had not later cast covetous eyes upon Xuzhou and marched north to attack Liu Bei; if Widow Cao had not seized the opportunity to set wolf against tiger, using an imperial edict from the Son of Heaven to force Liu Bei to leave Xiapi and engage Yuan Shu in a fight to the death, thereby obliging him to leave Zhang Fei behind to keep watch over Cao Bao—

if Liu Bei had been able to delay matters for another year or two, the Danyang faction might truly have been subdued by him.

This was no idle speculation. The historical records made it perfectly clear: when Liu Bei first took control, the Danyang faction commanded a force of fully twenty thousand men.

Yet after Lü Bu seized the deed to the estate and the Danyang leaders defected to him, Lü Bu’s total strength amounted to barely ten thousand. Only when he scraped together every last resource for his desperate decisive battle against Yuan Shu did he manage to assemble five or six thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry.

Later, when he soundly defeated Big-Ears at Pei County, he deployed only three thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry.

And even that total included Lü Bu’s old Bingzhou troops, Zhang Liao’s personal retainers, and the forces of the gentry from Yan Province who had fled with him.

Clearly, the Danyang faction had already declined to such an extent.

“Oh? Why would it be unwise?”

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Liu Bei felt somewhat embarrassed. However, the one who had repeatedly contradicted him was his beloved son, so after thinking it over, he decided to let it pass.

“Father, the Kingdom of Xiapi is the Chen family’s domain. The Chen family has cultivated its influence in Xiapi for hundreds of years, and everyone there, from the gentry to the common people, submits to them. If Father moves the provincial and commandery offices to Xiapi, all affairs of both province and commandery will fall into the hands of the Chen faction. Even if Father appoints Cao Bao as Chancellor of Xiapi, he will merely hold an empty title. Why would he feel any gratitude toward Father?”

“Moreover, if Father leaves Donghai Commandery for Xiapi, then this remaining half of Donghai will surely fall completely out of control. As Governor of Xuzhou, Father may not even be able to govern a single county.”

Liu Bei drew in a sharp breath. He had previously thought his plan reasonably sound: by moving to Xiapi, he could at least secure enough grain to feed and maintain his troops, while also protecting the last fertile region of Xuzhou from nearby.

He could even use the office of Chancellor to win Cao Bao over and curb Chen Deng’s influence.

But after hearing Liu Feng’s analysis, he realized that he had lost his senses. The plan was truly abysmal.

Liu Feng continued, laying out everything he had been considering. “Father, it is only the first month of the year. Spring is still two or three months away. As long as we can gather seeds, farming tools, and grain, then setting Pengcheng aside for the moment, Donghai Commandery will still be able to carry out a round of military farming.”

Liu Bei looked surprised. “Military farming?”

“Yes! Military farming!”

Liu Feng nodded. “The part of Donghai Commandery bordering Yan Province has already been utterly devastated. Even those among the local gentry and commoners who survived by luck have long since fled. People can run, but the fields cannot. As long as we have grain, seeds, and tools, we can easily recruit refugees and settle them in the four counties of Xiangben, Lanling, Cheng, and Yinping to cultivate the land.”

“This… I fear there may be some impropriety,” Liu Bei said, frowning. “Though only one in ten of the local people may remain, those fields nevertheless have owners.”

Liu Feng had anticipated this objection long ago, and had already thought of a solution.

“Father can issue an order in his capacity as Governor, commanding the original inhabitants to return within a fixed period. Those who return before spring begins will have their fields restored in full. Those who return within the year must wait until after the autumn harvest to reclaim them. Those who return after a year will have their land restored only after the provincial government levies an additional assessment for cultivated fields.”

“An assessment for cultivated fields?”

“Yes, an assessment for cultivated fields. These people abandoned their homes and left their fields untilled. The provincial government will have cultivated and maintained the land for them. Surely it cannot do so for nothing?”

Fields need both periods of fallow to restore their fertility and continuous cultivation. If a field lies fallow for more than two years without proper care, it may deteriorate from cultivated land into virgin soil, or even wasteland, causing its yield to decline rather than increase.

Under this pretext, levying a sum of money would provide relocation expenses for the soldiers and commoners engaged in military farming. It would be a policy beneficial to both sides.

Besides, the four counties Liu Feng had mentioned, together with Changlü and Hexiang—six counties in all, lying farther to the left near the provincial border—had been drenched in blood by Cao Cao. In Pengcheng alone, more than forty thousand people had been slaughtered, so many that even the Si River had been choked into stillness.

Even if anyone had miraculously survived in those places, the number who could produce land deeds would be vanishingly small—probably less than one percent. There was no need to fear that a great multitude of gentry and commoners would later join forces to cause trouble.

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“Your son suggests that Father recommend Lu Su as Commandant of Military Farming, placing him in overall charge of the program. You might also recommend Zhao Yun as Magistrate of Cheng County and Tian Yu as Magistrate of Lanling County, then order the two of them to establish military farms in those counties.”

Liu Bei stared at the fervor in Liu Feng’s eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, he shook his head with an amused, bitter smile.

“Feng’er, you are being far too hasty. Quite apart from whether Lu Su, Lu Zijing, would agree to enter my service, I have no money, grain, tools, or other supplies with which to establish these farms.”

“Father, have you forgotten the snow salt and frost sugar bestowed upon your son by the immortal in his dream?”

Liu Feng burst into laughter. “Your son is willing to use them as security and negotiate a business deal with Assistant Governor Mi, so that Father may obtain enough money, grain, seeds, and farming tools.”

Liu Bei suddenly understood, though a trace of reluctance crossed his face.

Both these goods had been gifts from Heaven to his son. If they were handed over to others, who could say whether Liu Feng’s fortune would be affected?

Sensing what Liu Bei was thinking, Liu Feng could not help feeling deeply moved.

“Father, since the immortal bestowed them upon me, they are naturally meant for my use. But if I cannot tell anyone about them, surely I cannot spend my life working as a salt maker or sugar craftsman? Besides, if these two things can win Father the foundation needed to establish yourself in Xuzhou, then they will have been exchanged for far more than their worth. How could I be unwilling to part with them?”

Liu Bei was profoundly touched. He took Liu Feng’s hand and sighed again and again.

Liu Feng, too, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to persuade Liu Bei.

Time was short and the task immense. If Big-Ears became an obstacle as well, the situation would grow even more difficult.

Fortunately, Big-Ears was still a reasonable man.

“Father, this is the crucial moment for winning over the Commandant of Military Might. We must not do anything that would leave him uneasy.”

Liu Feng offered his final conclusion. “Therefore, your son cannot take Chief Clerk Chen as his mentor—at least not at this stage. It is absolutely out of the question for now.”

Though Liu Bei was deeply disappointed that he could not have Liu Feng study under Chen Deng, he remained understanding.

“It was your father who failed to think this through. Very well. Leave the matter to me. I will personally reassure Yuanlong.”

Hearing Liu Bei’s words, Liu Feng was completely at ease.

The foundation of their power in Xuzhou had finally been laid on solid ground.