Chapter 56: Stripping the Bottom of the Cauldron of Grain

Furthermore, from Liu Feng's perspective, it was actually better that Zang Ba did not make his stance clear. If he had proactively surrendered, it would have caused even greater trouble instead.

The geographical importance of Langya Commandery was paramount; if they wanted to secure a firm grip on Xuzhou, they absolutely had to bring Langya Commandery under their control.

If Zang Ba had proactively surrendered, given Big Ear's current insecurity and his renowned benevolence, he most likely would have acted like Cao Cao, granting Zang Ba a vassal status over Langya. This would have been equivalent to burying an immensely destructive landmine right beneath their own foundation.

Right now, Zang Ba was merely the largest and strongest faction within Langya Commandery, but he was not the only one.

Behind Zang Ba, there was also the faction of Langya Administrator Xiao Jian, the local presence of the Wang and Zhuge clans, and the remnants of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban rebels in the north.

One could say that Langya Commandery was practically a miniature version of present-day Xuzhou; the factions within the commandery were intricately intertwined and in utter chaos.

Therefore, rather than spending enormous energy on mediation, it would be much better to cut through the tangled knot with a sharp knife and use direct military suppression while Zang Ba remained defiant.

Then, taking advantage of the momentum gained from eliminating Zang Ba, they could sweep through Langya Commandery, crush all these chaotic factions, and centralize the authority of Langya Commandery back into the provincial government.

When Liu Feng went to see Liu Bei at this moment, the officials of the provincial government were no longer surprised.

Everyone within the provincial government knew that the newly appointed Governor of the province was not only benevolent and skilled in warfare, but also had a son who was precociously intelligent and capable of swaying the Governor's decisions.

Hearing that Liu Feng requested an audience, Liu Bei immediately issued an order to summon him.

After Liu Feng entered, he discovered that Chen Deng was also present.

As it turned out, Chen Deng was discussing the agricultural colonization plans for the coming year with Liu Bei.

Although the decision had already been made to hand over the agricultural colonization to Lu Su, promoting him to the rank of Colonel Who Manages Agriculture, the previous occupant of this position had been none other than Chen Deng himself. Furthermore, he had performed brilliantly in this role, achieving massive success in agricultural colonization and harvesting vast amounts of grain.

It was precisely this foundation that had fostered Tao Qian's arrogance, prompting him to continuously launch military campaigns in the subsequent years to expand his sphere of influence.

Living up to his reputation as Liu Bei's bosom friend, Chen Deng had already written down all his experiences regarding agricultural colonization and meticulously organized them as soon as he heard that Liu Bei intended to implement it.

His purpose in coming to see Liu Bei today was to present this compilation of agricultural experience to him.

In addition, Chen Deng had received a letter from his father, Chen Gui.

In the letter, Chen Gui showered Liu Bei, his son, and the curved-shaft plow with lavish praise, expressing utmost gratitude and reflecting the deep appreciation and loyalty of the gentry and common people of Xiapi State toward Liu Bei and his son.

Naturally, Chen Gui was not merely paying lip service.

At the end of the letter, upon hearing that Liu Bei intended to initiate agricultural colonization, Chen Gui had mobilized the gentry of Xiapi, pooling together twenty draft oxen, five thousand dan of grain, thirty thousand coins, three thousand catties of iron, fifty bolts of hemp cloth, twenty bolts of silk, five bolts of white raw silk, along with a quantity of clothing, bedding, and farming tools.

Altogether, these supplies amounted to a value of over one million coins.

Although it might seem that the gifts sent by an entire commandery were roughly equivalent to what Lu Su alone had contributed, Liu Bei was deeply moved, because this represented the sincere sentiments of the local gentry and commoners.

None of those families could possibly be as wealthy as Lu Su; even the Chen family, while far surpassing Lu Su in terms of family background and social standing, fell far short when it came to sheer wealth.

Xiapi State had also had a difficult time over the past two years. Although the main battlegrounds were mostly concentrated in Donghai and Pengcheng, Xiapi had likewise been baptized by the flames of war.

It was just that, firstly, this was not the main direction of Cao Cao's offensive, and secondly, the resolve of the gentry and common people of Xiapi to hold their ground was exceptionally strong. Led by the Chen family, they resisted resolutely, which ultimately forced Cao Cao to withdraw empty-handed.

Under such circumstances, being able to support the provincial government with over one million coins' worth of wealth and grain truly demonstrated absolute loyalty.

Upon entering, Liu Feng's first sight was Big Ear holding Chen Yuanlong's hand, continuously expressing his gratitude.

Seeing Liu Feng arrive, Chen Deng withdrew his hand, stood up, and respectfully bowed to him.

Naturally, Liu Feng could not wait for the other to complete the courtesy and returned the bow promptly.

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Chen Deng turned back to Liu Bei and said, "Since the Young Lord has matters to discuss, I shall take my leave first."

Just as Chen Deng was about to depart, he was stopped by Liu Feng.

"Please wait a moment, Official Chen."

Amidst Chen Deng's puzzled gaze, Liu Feng said sincerely, "This junior has come this time to present a strategy to my father. Official Chen possesses profound vision and grand strategies, coupled with keen insight and abundant wisdom. I earnestly request that you stay so we may deliberate together."

Chen Deng looked toward Liu Bei, who naturally laughed and pulled Chen Deng back to his seat. "Yuanlong is my trusted confidant and a core minister of the provincial government; is there anything here that you should not know? Yuanlong, there is no need to stand on ceremony. Just sit down and listen."

Since Liu Bei had put it that way, Chen Deng certainly would not insist on leaving.

In truth, he held a great deal of interest in Liu Feng, the eldest and legitimate son of Liu Bei.

Earlier, Liu Bei had expressed a wish for him to take Liu Feng as a disciple, to which he had readily agreed. However, for some unknown reason, subsequent developments seemed to have faded into silence from Liu Bei's end.

Even so, this occasion presented an excellent opportunity for interaction.

Since Liu Feng had just claimed he wanted to offer a strategy, this would give Chen Deng a perfect chance to observe Liu Feng's personality and talents.

"Please offer your guidance and share your insights without reservation, Official Chen."

Chen Deng smiled and nodded. He had always been a character who dared to contend for the initiative in all matters; playing it safe and keeping a low profile had never suited Chen Yuanlong.

"Father, Official Chen, please look at this map."

After all, Liu Feng was a person from a later era, accustomed to figures and visual presentations.

Spread out before Liu Bei and Chen Deng was a diagram resembling a modern presentation board.

On it was drawn a rough map of Langya Commandery, while the blank space beside it listed various data and statistics.

"Father, Official Chen, to my knowledge, during the reign of the previous Emperor, Langya Commandery governed thirteen counties, with twelve thousand households and a population of over five hundred and seventy thousand. Its annual yield approached nearly forty million dan. Under our dynasty's land tax rate of one part in thirty, the resulting tax revenue amounted to one million three hundred thousand dan.

Later on, the Yellow Turbans rebelled and warfare raged continuously. Although Xuzhou was not the primary battleground, it suffered heavily from the harassment of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans. Langya bore the brunt of this, and its population plummeted sharply.

By the time Lord Tao governed Xuzhou, the household registry of Langya had dropped to less than half of its peak period, and uncultivated wasteland exceeded two-thirds.

The land actually controlled by Zang Ba is not very large, mainly relying on the Donghai Commandery region, consisting solely of the two counties of Kaiyang—the commandery seat—and Yangdu.

Although these two counties have not experienced excessive warfare, and furthermore, Kaiyang is situated in a river bend region with fertile soil and abundant upper-grade fields, even so, the total yield of these two counties is at most seven million five hundred thousand dan. With a tax rate of one in thirty, Zang Ba can only collect twenty-five thousand dan in land tax.

Zang Ba has several thousand men under his command; counting Sun Guan, Sun Kang, Wu Dun, Yin Li, and Chang Xi, the total amounts to roughly seven or eight thousand men. Maintaining an army inevitably consumes sixteen thousand dan of grain, leaving him with a flexible surplus of less than ten thousand dan.

Even factoring in the grain reserves from previous years, as well as the grain circulating through private commerce among the populace, it will absolutely not exceed one hundred and fifty thousand dan.

The current price of grain is two hundred and fifty coins per dan, so one hundred and fifty thousand dan is roughly equivalent to three million eight hundred thousand coins."

At this point, Liu Feng paused and looked toward Liu Bei.

Chen Deng felt somewhat curious, wondering what purpose Liu Feng intended to serve by reciting these figures.

Liu Bei took the initiative to explain to Chen Deng, conveying to him the strategy of 'feigning passage to conquer Guo' and 'drawing the firewood from the bottom of the cauldron' that Liu Feng had presented.

As Chen Deng listened, he turned his head repeatedly, gazing intently at Liu Feng.