Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1364: Establishing Authority and Credibility
The reason why the Li and Liao tribes were able to survive and multiply in Lingnan was not because they were so strong, but precisely because they had no ability to join the mainstream disputes in the world. They could only develop slowly relying on Lingnan's remote geographical location and the complex and changeable terrain of mountains, rivers and swamps within the territory.

A few years ago, Chen Baxian used Lingnan as the starting point of his career and his fantastic rise taught a profound lesson to the chieftains in Lingnan. Afterwards, the ups and downs of regional hegemony in Lingnan also made these chieftains who were watching from the sidelines feel eager to move, and they wished they could also throw themselves into this great trend to show their heroic qualities.

There are many reasons why Hou Andu gathered such a huge momentum after returning home. But the facts have proved that without sufficient training and selection and improvement of the entire ethnic group, the Lingnan Li Liao tribes are just a piece of cake in front of the real elite armed forces.

Led by their ambitious leaders, these barbarian tribes left their familiar settlements and came to the vast plain city of Guangzhou to try their luck. At the beginning, they maintained high morale thanks to their large numbers and Hou Andu's personal prestige.

However, when the real test came, these barbarian members were completely incapable of matching the huge size of the army in terms of both their armament level and combat awareness, and the battle with the elite cavalry of the Tang army was a disaster for them.

The terrain outside Guangzhou City was flat and open, and there was no rugged terrain to hide from the cavalry's charge. Even these barbarian tribes did not know how to cooperate to avoid fighting, so the battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! My father is the chief of Luozhou. You can use money to redeem my life..."

On the battlefield, many Li Liao tribesmen fled in panic, but some barbarians huddled together tightly, often to protect their leaders.

Although these barbarians have terrible combat skills, they are simple-minded and highly obedient. Even in such a dangerous and harsh situation, quite a few of them still disregard their lives and choose to use their bodies to resist the swords and weapons.

As for the chieftains, they were still confused about the situation and still thought that this battle was similar to the previous village fights between them. If they lost, they only needed to shout out their weakness and pay money to be saved. Therefore, after realizing the huge gap in strength between them, many chieftains on the battlefield cried out for mercy.

"My lord, should we temporarily bring these surrendered people into the battle formation and take them to another place, and then deal with them after the battle?"

Some soldiers saw that more and more chieftains were asking for surrender on the battlefield, so they returned to ask Li Xian for instructions.

Li Xian hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then waved his hand and said, "No need. These barbarians are scattered across the mountains and fields, and it is not easy to gather them together. It is even more rare to have a fight in this plain. Let's kill a few of them first. Since there is no horn, there is no need to stop the sword and continue to kill!"

These few simple sentences directly sentenced the barbarians present to death. Li Xian knew that the king's army was merciful and forgiving, and did not kill people wantonly, but this also had to be treated according to different situations.

This is the first time that the Tang army has entered the Lingnan region to fight. The combat style adopted by the Tang army and the image it can establish will be a very critical factor for the future governance of Lingnan.

Lingnan is far away from the core area of ​​the Tang Dynasty's rule, so the cost of ruling must be very high, especially when encountering some situations that require the use of troops. If a division or brigade is sent to Lingnan from Guanzhong or Heluo area, not to mention the great pressure on logistics and supplies, the timing alone may not be able to arrive in time.

Therefore, if we want to reduce the cost of ruling Lingnan in the future, we must adopt a tributary rule that unites with the local chieftains. And if we want these chieftains to remain in awe of the Tang Dynasty's criminal laws and obediently obey the management, we need to have enough power to deter them, and the performance of the Tang army in its first battle in Lingnan is crucial.

The barbarians fear power but not virtue. Simply trying to appease and control them will only make them think you are weak and can be bullied. However, if you use tough measures against them and make them feel that their life and death are only a matter of time in the Tang Dynasty, they will establish long-term respect for you.

Li Xian wanted to use a massacre to achieve sufficient deterrence. Putting aside the negative impact of being too brutal, if these barbarians want to challenge the authority of the Tang Dynasty again in the future and rely on the armed forces of their subordinates to cause chaos, they should think about whether they can afford the high price paid for the battle outside Guangzhou today!
As the barbarian tribes fled in all directions, the battle gradually moved away from the city of Guangzhou. Xu Du and other soldiers who had been trapped in the city for many days and Ouyang He and his subordinates, who were dressed in black robes, came out of the city to welcome them. Li Xian also went to the city of Guangzhou with his personal soldiers.

"The criminal Ouyang He came back late and was trapped by the bandits. Fortunately, General Li, Duke of Hexi, put aside past grudges and led his troops to rescue him, thus saving the criminal and the people of the city from death. It's like a rebirth for us. I am truly grateful!"

Ouyang He had watched the battle on the top of the city wall before, and he was deeply amazed at the fighting power displayed by the elite cavalry of the Tang army. Therefore, when he went out of the city to greet them this time, his attitude was particularly respectful.

After hearing this, Li Xian said with a smile: "City Lord Ouyang's return to the throne is sincere, and it will be a merit no matter how early or late, so what crime has he committed? It's a pity that the journey is long and he couldn't arrive quickly, causing the old and young in the city to be threatened by the bandits for many days, especially missing the chance to meet Lord Ouyang, which is really a pity! Lord Ouyang's name is famous in southern China, and I have also heard of his reputation. Now Lingnan has finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish and returned to the king's rule. I hope it can comfort his spirit in heaven. Now that I have entered the state, although we are separated by the Yin and Yang, I will also pay my respects to the spirit. Please lead me there, City Lord Ouyang!"

Ouyang He bowed his head and nodded immediately after hearing this. He then looked at the battle or massacre still going on outside the city and said hesitantly, "The slaves here are frightened by the might of the heavenly soldiers and have lost all their courage. They are no longer able to fight. Should we call back the troops right now and allow me to spend all my treasury to entertain the reinforcements?"

"That's not necessary. The men have been exhausted from the long journey and are thirsty for blood. So we can feed these crazy and rebellious slaves. When they are full, we can go home!"

Li Xian still had a kind smile on his face, but his words made Ouyang He break out in a cold sweat. He didn't dare to look at the tragic scene of corpses and blood outside the city again, and hurriedly led Li Xian to the city lord's mansion.

When they arrived at the provincial capital in the city, Li Xian first paid his condolences to Ouyang He in the mourning hall, and then Ouyang He introduced his wife, children and family members to Li Xian.

"Is this your son? He is really, really smart. When I bid farewell to the Supreme before leaving for Luoyang, the Supreme also specifically told City Master Ouyang that he should take extra care of the children in his family. I guess this is the young man in front of me?"

When Ouyang He's wife and children came forward to pay their respects, Li Xian saw a dark child who looked like a little monkey. His heart suddenly moved, and he remembered that his master had specifically mentioned Ouyang He's son before, so he asked casually, but he was very curious in his heart.

On the one hand, he was somewhat puzzled as to how the Supreme knew so much about the situation of the Ouyang family in Lingnan, thousands of miles away. On the other hand, he was puzzled as to why this unremarkable little monkey-like child in front of him was worthy of the Supreme's attention, or even special instructions. He originally wanted to ask whether Ouyang He had other sons, but thinking that such a question was still a bit abrupt and rude, he forbeared for the time being.

Naturally, he didn't know how great artistic achievements this unremarkable-looking boy in front of him would achieve in the future, and that his reputation would be widely known even thousands of years later. He would also be the ancestor of calligraphy for the current emperor. Of course, he had to specifically warn him not to let the chaotic situation in Lingnan destroy Ouyang Xun.

"The Supreme Being actually knows the clumsy breath?"

Ouyang He was slightly surprised when he heard this, but then cold sweat broke out on his back. He had the same idea as Li Xian. He was curious about why the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was so interested in his son, but soon he was shocked. He felt as if there was a pair of big eyes in the void that were watching his family closely and knew everything about his family. If anyone had this feeling, they would not feel at ease.

The group had a brief exchange in the provincial government for a while, and the killing outside the city was coming to an end. The cavalry units of the Tang army had returned one after another, and there were almost no living people in sight. The entire Guangzhou city was littered with corpses, and the thick smell of blood made people dizzy.

"The climate in Lingnan is hot and humid, and it is very prone to epidemics. We would like to trouble City Lord Ouyang to dispatch the city residents to clean up the city as soon as possible, so as to prevent the city residents from being harmed by the epidemic."

After Li Xian climbed up to the top of the city wall and looked outside the city, he immediately said to Ouyang He in a very considerate manner. It was midsummer in May, and the Lingnan region was already very hot. If the corpses outside the city were allowed to rot and ferment, it would inevitably cause a series of epidemics, which of course he was not happy to see.

Ouyang He nodded palely after hearing this. He was also known for his bravery in Lingnan in the past, but after seeing the tragic scene outside the city, he even lacked the courage to look Li Xian in the eye. Today, he finally understood what it meant to treat human life as worthless. Li Xian's attitude of disregarding human life made Ouyang He feel quite creepy when he stood next to him.

Li Xian didn't care that in the eyes of others he had turned into a Shura demon who could stop children from crying at night. The war in Lingnan had not yet ended, and he did not plan to stay in Guangzhou for a long time. Next, he would ask Ouyang He and his subordinates for detailed information about the situation in Lingnan, so as to formulate the next battle plan.

Not to mention the situation in Guangzhou, several months later, Hou Andu once again embarked on the road of defeat. As he was chased by the Tang army all the way, he did not dare to return to Hengzhou, so he fled all the way to the southwest, and fled to the Feng family's old nest near Yangjiang, Gaozhou, where he could feel a little safe.

When the Feng clan members saw Hou Andu, they immediately and respectfully welcomed him into the manor and could not help asking, "I heard that General Hou was gathering a large force to attack the Ouyang clan in Guangzhou. Why did you suddenly come here?"

Hou Andu sighed after hearing this, but he did not hide anything and said directly: "The attack on Guangzhou was going smoothly. It was not right that Ouyang was cowardly and surrendered the city to the northern barbarians. The Tang army attacked us from behind and caught us off guard. We suffered a small setback and need to gather our troops to fight back!" "The Tang army has actually invaded Lingnan? The enemy is really rampant. Fortunately, we have General Hou in the country to gather people's support and lead the movement. We will definitely be able to successfully repel the Tang army and preserve our Lingnan homeland!"

Under the restraint of Madam Xian, the Feng clan members did not lead their troops to participate in the siege of Guangzhou, so they did not know much about the situation there. After hearing Hou Andu's answer, they were surprised for a moment, and then they complimented Hou Andu.

Hou Andu just forced a smile after hearing this. Although he was a little pessimistic in his heart, he still said: "Remember that we were nominated by the masses, and I will do my best!"

Feng family owned more than one garden on both sides of Yangjiang River. Lady Xian, who was in charge of other places, was also shocked when she learned that Hou Andu had come to her sphere of influence. To be safe, she did not go to meet Hou Andu directly, but only ordered the clansmen to entertain him with wine and food, and try not to talk about the marriage between the two families. At the same time, she sent spies to Guangzhou to inquire about the news.

However, Mrs. Xian did not have to inquire much about the news from Guangzhou, as a large amount of relevant information soon arrived.

Gaozhou was adjacent to Guangzhou, and some defeated soldiers who had managed to escape outside Guangzhou also arrived in Gaozhou one after another. When people asked about the situation in Guangzhou, these people said in a trembling voice with fear on their faces: "Dead, all dead... The Tang army was like a heavenly army, and we could not defeat them at all. Tens of thousands of soldiers were all killed..."

When the relevant information spread in Gaozhou, Feng Xian's clansmen became frightened and nervous. The bravery and cruelty of the Tang army was beyond their imagination. They were secretly glad that they obeyed Madam Xian's orders and did not go to Guangzhou to join in the fun, otherwise they would have died outside the city of Guangzhou.

Not only the Feng family members, but Hou Andu was also shocked when he learned that the Tang army was so brutal outside the city of Guangzhou.

Although he had been enemies with the Tang army many times, he had to admit that the Tang army was the best in terms of military discipline and style, and they were also quite gentle to the soldiers and civilians they conquered. However, the actions of the Tang army outside Guangzhou overturned his previous imagination, and he soon realized that his situation might not be good.

While everyone was still marveling at the brutality of the Tang army but had not yet made any further changes in their minds, Hou Andu quickly took the initiative to ask to meet Lady Xian. Lady Xian was also worried at this time, so she chose to meet Hou Andu at her own manor.

"What I said before about the Tang army was just hearsay and not necessarily reliable. But now that their army has finally entered Lingnan and caused great harm, the evidence is solid. Madam, you must know why I am so stubborn in resisting the invasion of the Tang army, right? We still have the will and strength, and we can still fight for now, but if we can't fight, our hometown will be trampled on in the future, and our descendants will all become slaves. This is definitely not what Madam wants to see, right?"

After seeing Madam Xian, Hou Andu spoke in a deep voice.

Madam Xian also looked worried after hearing this. She sighed and said, "Even though there are many famous ministers and generals in the dynasty, they still cannot resist the invasion of the Tang army. I am just a foolish woman from a barbarian cave in Lingnan. What qualifications do I have to discuss the general situation of the world?"

"Madam, you are too modest. I have long admired your reputation. Although you are a woman, you have a mind and knowledge far beyond that of men. If there is anyone in Lingnan who can discuss important matters with me, it is only you, Madam."

Hou Andu said to Madam Xian in a rare respectful manner: "I am in a desperate situation and I am asking for an audience. I will not lie to you. The brutality of the Tang army is beyond description, and they are now extremely powerful, so it will be difficult to defeat them. Especially after the battle in Guangzhou, I am afraid that no one in this village dares to be an enemy except me. I do not ask Madam to spend all your money to help me fight the enemy, but please lead me to Yazhou and allow me to recruit troops there to continue to fight against the Tang army. The Tang army will not be able to stay in Lingnan for a long time. If I disturb the border, I will have to rely on you and other Lingnan chieftains. This is to support me and my people. Madam is very wise and should be able to see the subtlety of this plan."

After hearing this, Madam Xian's eyes flickered, but after pondering for a long time, she still did not give Hou Andu a clear answer, but said: "General Hou is tenacious and unyielding, which is really admirable. And what I have planned is not just for my own honor and disgrace. My late husband deceived me and left me with a lot of things to do. Please allow me to think about it and give you an answer after careful consideration!"

Seeing that Lady Xian was still hesitating, Hou Andu urged her again. If he wanted to cross the sea and escape to Yazhou to continue fighting against the Tang army, he had to get Lady Xian's support. Because this woman also had great influence in Yazhou. Even the state capital of Yazhou was established by her petition to the court, and most of the Li tribes in the territory also obeyed her orders.

But Madam Xian still evaded the question, saying that she would think about it again, and did not agree directly. After Hou Andu left reluctantly, his subordinates and clansmen asked in confusion: "The atrocities committed by the Tang army in Guangzhou were too brutal, and what General Hou said made sense. Besides, it was the Tang army's own failure to intercept them when they fled to Yazhou, so it is hard to blame others. Why didn't Madam Xian agree?"

"General Hou has run out of power, but he will try anything to survive. But my family business is still intact, so there is no reason for me to abandon it and become a thief! It is easy to lead General Hou to Yazhou now, but what about later? General Hou may have the ambition of an eagle or a wolf, but the Tang army has the courage of a lion or a tiger. One is escaping and becoming a thief, while the other is annexing other places. There is no need to compare who is stronger and who is weaker."

Madam Xian sighed and said, "General Hou taught me to keep the enemy in check, but he is too modest. With his ambition and talent, even if he becomes a thief, he is not something that my family can easily control. Now he is poor and has to beg for mercy, but when the situation changes, he was once a meritorious official of the tyrannical and heroic ruler, so how could he submit to the leader of my barbarian cave? Keeping the enemy in check will inevitably lead to becoming a slave of the thieves. Moreover, the butcher knife of the Tang army has not been wiped off yet. If we make enemies because of my private indulgence of General Hou, we will be testing the sword edge with the lives of all the men and women in our family!"

Madam Xian naturally did not want to continue to fight with Hou Andu, but she was worried about the brutality of the Tang army. It was no secret that Hou Andu had fled here before. If the Tang army blamed him for this, then it seemed that only resistance would give her a glimmer of hope.

While Lady Xian was still hesitating, a team of elite Tang troops escorted an iron prison cart to Gaozhou and delivered it to the Feng family manor upstream of Yangjiang River. They also conveyed the order of Li Xian, the general of the Tang army, saying that if the Feng family could capture Hou Andu into the prison cart and send him to the Tang army camp, the entire family could be saved from annihilation. Otherwise, the Tang army would attack Yangjiang directly and wipe out the Feng and Xian families!
"The Tang army is really too much of a bully. They are so arrogant and domineering. Even if I capture General Hou and send him to their camp, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape. Instead, I will be labeled as ungrateful!"

After the Feng clan members learned about this, they all said angrily that they naturally did not dare to be enemies with the Tang army, but now the Tang army's arrogant attitude also made them dare not trust it. It should be noted that not long ago, Hou Andu was still highly respected by the Lingnan heroes. Now if his family captured Hou Andu and sent him to the Tang army camp, some of the heroes would naturally think that he was a traitor. If the Tang army raised the butcher knife against them again, others would not sympathize with them, but would applaud instead.

However, Lady Xian ignored the discussions of her clansmen and directly ordered that Hou Andu and his son be captured and controlled. However, she did not send anyone to send Hou Andu and his son to the Tang army camp directly. Instead, she prepared to board the prison car and go to the Tang army camp herself.

Before leaving, she called her son and all the people in the tribe and said solemnly, "The Tang army is too powerful to resist. It is not wise to resist. Although my tribe is small, we also have the desire to survive and defend the country. I will go to the Tang camp to ask for an audience and plead guilty. If I survive, I will offer the lives of the Hou family and all the people in the tribe. If the Tang army does not tolerate me, I will die. What to do next? You can think about it yourself."

When all the clansmen of Feng Xian heard what Madam Xian said, they couldn't help but burst into tears for a moment. However, under Madam Xian's stern rebuke, they could only shed tears and bid farewell, watching Madam Xian sitting in the prison cart and going to the Tang army camp to seek a glimmer of hope for their clansmen.

At this time, the main force of the Tang army had been stationed in the upper reaches of Yangjiang River. Li Xian also learned that the Feng and Xian tribes enjoyed a high reputation among the Lingnan Li Liao group. It happened that Hou Andu had fled to the sphere of influence of Feng Xian, so he used this method to intimidate Feng Xian.

However, when Lady Xian came to the Tang army camp in a prison cart to ask for a meeting, Li Xian was also a little surprised.

He had naturally heard of this lady's reputation and past deeds, and now that he knew this, he immediately felt that this woman was unusual, so he personally came to the gate, pointed at Lady Xian on the prison cart and said angrily: "This cart is built to detain important prisoners. Who is the woman in the cart and what is the crime?"

"I am guilty of greed and fame. The general was sent by the Heavenly Dynasty, so he is a general from heaven. The power of a battle will shock Lingnan, and no one dares to resist him. But now the general's prestige has been established, but his credibility has not been proven. I am bold enough to test myself. If you are tolerated, I will serve you immediately. If not, I will die. It is a pity that I cannot contribute to the general's reputation."

Madam Xian knelt on the carriage and spoke to Li Xian calmly.

Although Li Xian's original intention was to warn the Feng and Xian clans, he was quite impressed when he saw how courageous this lady was.

Of course, he didn't want to make the people of Lingnan bloody. As Lady Xian said, after establishing authority, he needed to establish trust and promote benevolence, which was the best way to govern the land. The arrival of Lady Xian gave him a very good opportunity.

He walked forward, ordered his men to open the prisoner car fence, and personally helped Madam Xian down from the prisoner car, laughing and saying, "Who said there is no one in Lingnan? Today I have seen it! Madam has given me your trust and loyalty, and I will keep my promise and never harm you!"

He personally invited Madam Xian into the camp and treated her with courtesy, and then sent soldiers to escort Madam Xian back to Feng's manor. Fearing that Feng's manor would be disturbed by the rebels again, he directly ordered the soldiers to garrison in the manor.

As for Hou Andu and his son, they were naturally handed over to the Tang army through the hands of the Feng clan. Since the division crossed the river and issued the manifesto a year ago, after more than half a year of fighting, from Wuzhong to Lingnan, Hou Andu, the stubborn bandit from Jiangdong, was finally captured. Although this person was just a pretext for the expedition to Lingnan, at this point, his final capture also had extraordinary significance.

So Li Xian continued to deploy troops to conquer other rebellious areas in Lingnan, while at the same time he ordered his men to escort Hou Andu back to the court to report his victory.

Sorry, sorry, the update is a little late, a two-in-one chapter...