My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Chapter 698

“I thought Jiangdong would be like chicken ribs. I really did not expect to earn so much money at once.” Liu Mang was a little surprised. After the battle of Huiji, many clans were exterminated. Besides the Hao, Zhang, and Zuo Family, there were also many small noble clans. After exterminating them all and collecting their wealth, Liu Mang earned no less than five hundred thousand gold.

Liu Mang had to go to Jingzhou himself to extort a hundred thousand gold but Jiangdong gave him five hundred thousand gold. With this much money, Liu Mang could finally furnish his warships with cannons.

“Jiangdong has been taken so let us build two more shipyards in Jiangdong.” Liu Mang was very generous. With a single wave of his hand, he invested two hundred thousand gold into building two large shipyards.

Xu Shu nodded and smiled.

“Also make another one hundred cannons!” Liu Mang continued to say.

Xu Shu nodded and smiled.

“The palace should also be expanded. I look at the palace my father-in-law left behind. I think it is time for it to be expanded.” Liu Mang continued to say happily. It's like suddenly striking it rich. Besides spending it on necessities, he also wanted to enrich his life.

“We can repair the roads and give people more food.”

But before Liu Mang could say anything else, Xu Shu stretched out his hand.

“What's wrong, Yuanzhi?” Liu Mang asked skeptically.

“Give me the money.” Xu Shu replied.

“Give what money? Don't we have five hundred thousand gold?” Liu Mang asked.

“Haha. Milord. That money has already been handed over to the Ministry of Revenue.” Xu Shu said.

“All of it was given to Mi Zhu?” Liu Mang frowned. The Ministry of Revenue was supposed to broaden their source of income. Liu Mang wanted Mi Zhu to make money, not take it. Why Mi Zhu stuffing his pockets using government money and waiting for a good offer?

“All of it was taken by Mi Zhu.” Xu Shu explained. All of that money had already been taken by Mi Zhu to be used according to Liu Mang's earlier instructions. That is, to buy all the land that belonged to the nobles. Not every noble rebelled like the Zhang Family, Cheng Family and others. There were also those that followed Sun Ce or were simply on the fence. Regardless, they were not rebels and could not be executed.

According to Liu Mang's policy, all the land belongs to the government. But Jiangdong was not Yangzhou, so Liu Mang could not do whatever he wants. He could not rob them either as it would destroy his reputation. This means that Liu Mang has to buy the land from these nobles.

Five hundred thousand gold may seem a lot but it would quickly disappear after buying all the land.

“Alright alright. We can put off the warships for a while.” Liu Mang smiled bitterly. Recovering the land in Jiangdong and distributing it to the people was more urgent than building warships. The people would only support the government after getting their land.

“But Yuanzhi. Make sure the troops remain well trained. War is coming soon.” Liu Mang said worriedly as he thought of Cao Cao.

***

Cao Cao's army was unstoppable at Jizhou. Yuan Shao himself was unable to defeat him so how could his two wastrel sons fare any better?

At first, these two actually had a chance of winning against Cao Cao but now it is unlikely as Yuan Shao's two sons turned on each other. Cao Cao easily got them to turn on each other.

Because of this, Cao Cao managed to quickly occupy half of Jizhou and forced the two brothers to retreat to Liaodong. It was only then when the two brothers realized it was too late to unite against Cao Cao.

“Fengxiao. That Liu Mang has actually taken Jiangdong. This is a problem. He now controls three out of nine provinces.” Cao Cao frowned.

He really did not expect Liu Mang to develop so quickly.

“How is this possible?” Guo Jia had been paying attention to the war in the North. Though he also wanted to pay attention to the war in the South, he did not have the strength to. This is because Guo Jia is seriously ill. His face was already pale and he was still following Cao Cao close to the frontlines. Cao Cao would then deliver letters to Guo Jia before Guo Jia come up with strategies for Cao Cao to implement. ꞦἈΝổ𝐛ËꞨ

Guo Jia felt that it was impossible for Liu Mang to capture Jiangdong as Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, had very high pride. He would be unable to accept Liu Mang taking his Lujiang and then developing it.

“Nothing is impossible.” Cao Cao shook his head. Liu Mang's letter to the Han Emperor asking for a title of nobility was already in on Cao Cao's desk.

“Zhou Yu.” Cao Cao said to explain to Guo Jia. Zhou Yu was in critical condition and Sun Ce gave up the entirety of Jiangdong to save Zhou Yu. Cao Cao could not help but sigh when he got this information. Cao Cao wondered if he would do the same if the ones involved were him and Guo Jia instead of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

“Milord. What does this Liu Mang think of our Xudou? Does he think we can just give him whatever title he wants? Does he think the Han belongs to his clan?” Cheng Yu shouted unhappily.

“Haha.” Cao Cao and Guo Jia could not help but laugh bitterly. Though Cheng Yu said this out of anger, it was a fact that the Han Dynasty belonged to the Liu.

“Milord. I suggest we just ignore him.” A general from the Xiahou Family added.

These people who spoke were all military generals. They were all honest and straight with their actions. If you make them unhappy, they would make you unhappy. Since Liu Mang made them unhappy, they decided it was best to ignore Liu Mang's requests.

Cao Cao then turned to one military general. “Junyi. What do you think?” The other generals did not know who Junyi was and turned to see who Cao Cao was looking at. He was just a small officer commanding five thousand men.

“Huh?” Zhang He Zhang Junyi was surprised to hear his name being called. He was just a minor military officer surrounded by people who outrank him. It should not have been his turn to speak.

On top of that, Zhang He was a surrendered general.

Yes, this was the same Zhang He that used to serve Yuan Shao. He was one of Yuan Shao's Four Pillars of Hebei. He stood on the same reputation as Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Though his strength was evident, Yuan Shao did not put him in any important position. Cao Cao fancied him after the second son of forced Zhang He to end up surrendering to Cao Cao. Normally, Zhang He should be leading miscellaneous troops after surrendering but Cao Cao still allowed Zhang He to lead his original heavy cavalry.

Unlike the others, Zhang He did not have a rough feeling. If the others had to describe Zhang He, they would call him a pretty boy. Naturally, they would also say it with disgust.

“Oh the sissy!” Some of the veteran generals were jealous and said mockingly.

Zhang He was a little angry. Was it wrong to be beautiful? Since you are jealous, I will make you even more jealous. Zhang He's thought process gave him more motivation to establish his reputation. He wanted to prove to others that he did not rely on his face to find food.

“Milord. I think that we should help Liu Mang to succeed rather than restrict him.” Zhang He suggested.

“Oh?”

“As expected, you are just an inexperienced whelp. There are no room for two tigers on a mountain. This Liu Mang did not respect the Emperor and occupies Yangzhou. Now he even expands to Jiangdong. If we do not restrict him, he would become a danger to the Prime Minister. How can we support him and give him titles?” One of Cao Cao's officers argued.

“You want to raise arms over an insignificant title? Having a title may be filled with glory but to the Prime Minister, it is just a piece of paper. The one in the upper position make plans. The one in the middle position make friends and the one in the lowest position would attack enemies.” Zhang He retorted. He was not inferior in anyway in cursing people. They may call him insignificant but he simply calls them low ranked.

“You!” The man who was just scolded quickly stood up and got ready to fight.

“Enough! Shut up!” Cao Cao furrowed his brows. This was a disaster of his own making. It was his love of talents that led to a discord between the Yanzhou faction generals and the Hebei faction generals.

It was also because Zhang He was talented that Cao Cao end up paying extra attention to them.

For example, Zhang He may only be a minor general but he has already fought more battles than the Xiahou brothers in Hebei. There were no battles without Zhang He's troops. Even the Xiahou Family, Cao Cao's own relatives, felt jealous.

This would not be a problem if Zhang He was a fool. Even if Cao Cao fancied you, you would still be useless.

The problem is that Zhang He was actually talented. He always achieves more than what Cao Cao asked for. Thanks to this, the others don't get to contribute as much. What would the rest of them get then?

Cao Cao knew that if he continued to ask, the generals from both factions would start arguing. At that time, he would be forced to punish them with fifty lashes each.

Since Cao Cao could no longer ask the military generals, he decided to ask the civil officials.

“Fengxiao. What do you think?” Cao Cao trusted Guo Jia the most. Though Guo Jia was seriously ill, Cao Cao still subconciously turned to Guo Jia first.

“Milord. I have the same ideas as General Zhang He. Liu Mang's request for a title should not only be given. It should even be done quickly and neatly. We cannot give Liu Mang an excuse to march into the Central Plains.” Guo Jia intends to give Liu Mang the title to keep Liu Mang quiet and have the impression that Cao Cao was afraid of him. That way, they can buy time to clean up the North. Only after that can they actually fight with Liu Mang.

“So we stall him?” Cao Cao furrowed his brows still feeling uneasy. Liu Mang's army was as big and powerful as his. This request for title alone may not be enough to impress Liu Mang.

“Milord. Why don't we give the title Governor of Yangzhou and Governor of Jiaozhou to Liu Mang as well?” They were titles to give Liu Mang's actions righteousness.

“All the people in Xuzhou and Yuzhou should also withdraw to guard Yanzhou and Qingzhou.” Guo Jia continued.

“Huh? Why?” The generals were indignant. The troops at Yuzhou were just to annoy Liu Mang. But while half of Xuzhou is occupied by Liu Mang, the other half was earned by the sweat and blood of Cao Cao's men. How could they not feel anxious that Cao Cao is going to just give it away?

Cao Cao even lost his brother Cao Chun at Xuzhou.

“We will lose the city but not Xuzhou.” Guo Jia shook his head. Guo Jia intends to use Xuzhou as a buffer. Liu Mang who had just consumed Jiangdong would quickly digest it. At that time, his next target would be Jingzhou or Xudou.

Guo Jia intends to use this space to buy time. Once Liu Mang is finished digesting Xuzhou, Cao Cao would be ready to fight against him. At that time, whatever Liu Mang ate would need to be spat out. That is why Guo Jia did not give any titles relating to Xuzhou even though he gave away the cities. After explaining himself, the other generals nodded.

“What if Liu Mang is greedy?” Another person asked. He was asking what if Liu Mang still turned his sights towards Yanzhou.

“At that time, we will have to see whether Liu Mang or our army of a hundred thousand is stronger.” Another general replied as he remembered that Cao Cao had stationed Cao Ren along with a hundred thousand men there.

“Milord. What about Gongsun Du? Have you dispatched people there yet?” Guo Jia asked Cao Cao.

“Don't worry, Fengxiao. I have already dispatched someone. The letter should be at Gongsun Du's desk in the next few days.” Cao Cao nodded. Connecting with Gongsun Du was one of Guo Jia's strategies.

“That's good. It is alright if he is greedy. Or rather, it would be worse if he was not. We need to quickly defeat the Yuan brothers to pacifying the Central Plains.” Guo Jia's idea had been done before. When Cao Cao wanted to face off against Yuan Shao, he first advanced to Xuzhou and got rid of Liu Bei. He pacified Xuzhou before Yuan Shao could even react. Now, Liu Mang is in Yuan Shao's position while the Yuan brothers is in Liu Bei's position.

It would be great if the Battle of Guandu could happen again.

“Milord. What if Gongsun Du becomes too powerful?” Someone else frowned. He was afraid that after destroyed the Yuan brothers, Gongsun Du would become a threat.

“Don't worry. Gongsun Du is a sensible man. If he is not, destroy him as well.” Guo Jia said coldy. Those who were targetted by him did not have a good end.

“Then let us do as Fengxiao suggested.” Cao Cao said and the others did not object.

Cao Cao then suddenly asked. “Fengxiao. Have you done research on Sun Quan Sun Zhongmou?”

“Huh?” Guo Jia looked back at Cao Cao with surprise. Why did Cao Cao suddenly ask this? Cao Cao then handed Liu Mang's letter to Guo Jia. It was a letter of recommendation for Sun Quan to become a companion of the Han Emperor.

“Sending Sun Quan to Xudou?” Guo Jia frowned. He naturally knew who Sun Quan was. He wanted to advice Sun Quan into allying with Jingzhou to resist Yangzhou's advance after Sun Quan kills Sun Ce. Unfortunately, Sun Quan failed. Sun Quan was an outstanding talent and a schemer.

“This is a talented person.” Guo Jia replied.

“Then why did Liu Mang send him to Xudou?”

“It is because he is too troublesome.” Guo Jia smiled bitterly. Sun Quan was ambitious. The Han Emperor was ambitious. Then there is also Cao Pi who is not easy to deal with.

Sun Quan wanted to make achievements and compete for supremacy. Liu Xie wanted to surpress Cao Cao and have the power returned to him. Meanwhile, Cao Pi have been encouraging Cao Cao to forcefully ascend and become Emperor. This is so that Cao Pi himself would become Emperor once it was time for him to inherit his father's things.

Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao bitterly. He did not know how to explain it. Was he supposed to tell Cao Cao that his son wanted to usurp the throne and that all three of them, Liu Xie, Cao Pi and Sun Quan, were all power hungry?

***

“Is Cao Cao so kind?” The ministers of Yangzhou were also plotting against their enemies in the North.

Liu Mang read the edict. Not only were the titles for Zhou Yu and Sun Ce granted. Cao Cao even gave Liu Mang another two empty titles, Governor of Yangzhou and Governor of Jiaozhou along with some flowery words of praise.

“Report! A message from Chen Deng at Guangling!” A messenger suddenly came in.

Liu Mang read the letter and found out that Cao Cao had withdrew all his troops from his cities in Xuzhou and headed towards Yanzhou. Now all those cities were empty.

Chen Deng could not make a decision so he sent a message to Shouchun.

“Milord. We also received a letter from Yuzhou saying that several cities originally occupied by Cao Cao is also now empty.” Another general said to Liu Mang.

Cao Cao not only gave titles away but also retreated from Xuzhou. What was Cao Cao playing at? Did Cao Cao suddenly become benevelont and decide to give Xuzhou to Liu Mang?

If Liu Mang captures those empty cities, Liu Mang would almost own four provinces. The whole of China only has nine provinces, so this was nearly half.