Han officials

Chapter 137 Adapting to Local Conditions [4K]

The Goguryeo people were stronger than the Three Han people, even Wei Zhe admitted this.

Apart from anything else, the old capital of Goguryeo, Heseunggu City, is enough to prove it.

Although compared with the big Han cities in the Central Plains, Heshenggu City is still nothing.

However, in the wild land of Liaodong, building a city is actually considered a very advanced technology.

If Goguryeo had not subconsciously chosen the path of embracing all rivers and seas and being tolerant of all ethnic groups in order to grow and develop, it might not have been able to build an independent city.

You know, the Buyeo royal city is still just a circular wooden city!

However, Goguryeo's development into this state is also closely related to its unique geographical conditions.

Although Goguryeo was mainly based on agriculture, it had many mountains and deep valleys with lush vegetation, which also provided them with the innate conditions for raising horses, pigs, cattle and sheep.

Although the distribution is a bit fragmented, it is better than nothing.

……

The next day, He Shenggu arrived at the foot of the city.

"This pork...ah~"

In the big tent, Wei Zhe took a mouthful of the meat soup and then put down his bowl and chopsticks helplessly.

There is no way, the Goguryeo people's pig-raising technology is obviously still a bit lacking.

Even though the cook tried his best to save it, Wei Zhe still tasted fishy when he put it in his mouth.

But after hesitating for a moment, he finally finished his meal with a frown.

After all, it's good enough to have some meat to eat on the battlefield. Being picky seems a bit pretentious.

However, Wei Zhe couldn't help but sigh inwardly afterwards.

"It seems that not only farming, but also animal husbandry should be popularized as soon as possible!"

Don't underestimate the technique of fanning the pig. You should know that this is a standard surgical operation.

How to reduce the mortality and infection rates of piglets after castration is a science.

Even in modern society, not every pig farmer knows how to do this, so they still need to consult a veterinarian.

When he thought of this, Wei Zhe suddenly thought of Yuan Jun.

If he remembered correctly, Yuanshi was quite proficient in animal husbandry.

Wei Zhe secretly took note of this and planned to think about it carefully after returning.

Just as Wei Zhe was deep in thought, he saw Zhong Hu walking into the tent with a calm expression.

"My dear, the surrounding Goguryeo rebels have been gathered together. There are about two thousand of them in total."

It is said that after Wei Zhe arrived at Heshenggu City, he did not leave the city to attack it. Instead, Jiao Shan, Wu Zhong, Zhang Chang, Liu Yi, Han Zhong and others each led a group to search for Goguryeo people in the surrounding area.

Therefore, upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately nodded and said, "Give them a good meal. Tomorrow, let the Goguryeo civilians lead the way, and then let these rebels follow to attack the city."

Wei Zhe did not rely entirely on this group of Goguryeo people to attack the city and capture the stronghold.

He said with a cold expression, "Also, pass on my order. Select 500 brave and courageous men from among the army. Those who are selected will be awarded a great merit after this battle!"

With the Goguryeo people filling the trenches like ants, and the Goguryeo rebels exhausting the defenders, the Han army will be able to settle the matter if they land first.

Of course, Wei Zhe would not give up the necessary siege equipment.

In addition to the conventional ladders and battering rams, Wei Zhe even used catapults this time.

Although this item has been a common item in the military since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it is still not outdated now.

Wei Zhe even made some slight improvements to Niujiao Island and built a counterweight catapult.

Although the power was not greatly enhanced due to the limitation of wood, the accuracy was much better.

There have also been great improvements in manpower and usage environment.

So the next day, a rather strange scene appeared outside Heshenggu City.

I saw a group of ragged Goguryeo civilians standing at the foot of the city with sad faces, forming a huge crowd.

Although the number of people was not small, there were only about four or five thousand men, women, old and young, but it was enough to fill the trenches and carry soil.

Even after they solved the problem of the narrow moat, the Goguryeo rebels behind them continued to drive them to attack the city.

That’s right, after these rebels were recruited by Wei Zhe, they thought they were military supervisors.

Therefore, they are very aggressive and show no mercy when bullying their compatriots.

Especially after seeing the row of catapults behind them that looked like wild beasts, they felt even more proud and proud.

After all, in today's Liaodong, being a dog of the Han army is an honor!
Behind this group of Goguryeo people were the mighty and imposing Han troops of more than 10,000.

"let's start!"

Looking at the sun, Wei Zhe waved his whip forward without hesitation: "Attack the city!"

As soon as these words were spoken, flags fluttered and the sound of golden drums rang out.

The siege army under the city immediately bared its fangs like a tiger and pounced towards Heshenggu City.

At the same time, the guards on the top of Heshenggu City had turned pale, and the city lord Jin An was breathing rapidly.

However, no matter how scared they were, they had no choice but to fight back.

As the old capital of Goguryeo, those who could stay in Heseunggu City were naturally die-hard Goguryeo supporters.

If they retreat without fighting or abandon the city and flee, not only will they die when they return, but their families will also be unable to be saved.

This is also the reason why Gao Nanwu dared to gamble with Wei Zhe.

He just wants to use human lives to waste Wei Zhe's time, and see who can't hold on in the end!
But at this moment Wei Zhe has not realized this.

When Wei Zhe discovered that the defenders of Heshenggu City were determined, he did not hesitate to use catapults to cover the Goguryeo people who were attacking the city.

As huge stones as big as millstones were thrown towards the top of the city, loud noises were soon heard in Heshenggu City. After a lot of testing, the counterweight catapult had a specific data sheet.

Whether it was the city wall or the top of the city, huge rocks fell like meteorites.

The scene was so real that anyone who was hit would die, and anyone who was touched would be injured. In a blink of an eye, blood and flesh were splattered everywhere.

Even if some of the boulders were thrown too far, they still caused casualties to the Goguryeo people in the city.

However, the population in the city was not as dense as that on the city walls, so not many people died, and the damage was mainly mental.

To be honest, the Goguryeo people in Heshenggu City had not seen the Han people attacking the city for more than a hundred years.

Everyone was dumbfounded when they suddenly encountered this situation.

Some people even secretly doubted their lives. If the Han people in Liaodong were so powerful, then how did their ancestors defeat the Han people and occupy such a large Han territory as Xuanshou County?

The psychological gap between the offensive and defensive situations caused many Goguryeo nobles in the city to feel mentally confused.

But the Han army outside the city didn't care what they thought.

As the Goguryeo people who were living like ants were gradually exhausted, Wei Zhe ordered the Goguryeo rebels who had gathered to attack the city. Even though these people wailed and begged for mercy, they would not waste any more words after the ring-handled sword had chopped off more than a dozen heads.

At the same time, Wei Zhe under the central army flag did not continue to test.

He said with a cold expression, "Let the tiger bring his men!"

"Don't hold back on your trebuchets, use them all!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiao Shan in front of the Han army suddenly revealed a ferocious smile.

However, Wei Zhe did not intend to let the five hundred of them fight head-on.

As the Goguryeo rebels climbed up the ladders and rushed towards the city walls with distorted faces, the Han army below the city was also not idle. Under the cover of a hail of arrows, the Han army infantry also carried ladders and began to charge the city.

Under Wei Zhe's command, the siege army outside the city continuously hit Heshenggu City like waves, not giving them any time to breathe.

Even though Wei Zhe could see Han soldiers being killed by the defenders from the top of the city walls or dying tragically on the city walls from time to time, he remained unmoved.

It was not until Jiao Shan, covered in blood, led five hundred death-defying warriors to finally gain a foothold in Heshenggu City that Wei Zhe under the city finally revealed a smile.

"The overall situation is settled!"

As expected, more and more Han soldiers soon rushed to the top of Heshenggu City.

Although Jiao Shan suffered dozens of injuries, more than half of the 500 brave soldiers who bravely bravely climbed the mountain were killed or wounded.

However, the Han army still took the city gate of Heshenggu. Even if they blocked the city gate in advance, it would be useless. It was just a waste of a moment.

As the Han army continued to rush into the city, the city gate was soon opened.

In just one morning, Jin An, the lord of Heshenggu City, became Wei Zhe's prisoner.

……

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, Wei Zhe smiled at Jin An's determined expression.

"You have guts, good~very good!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "It's a trap!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Jin An, who had originally had a fearless expression on his face, suddenly couldn't hold it anymore.

When the guards dragged him away, he screamed heart-wrenchingly.

"Sir, I didn't say anything. Give me a chance~ Give me a chance, sir!"

However, Wei Zhe turned a blind eye and even turned around to continue giving orders:
"Of the men in this city, take ten and kill one, and the rest will be forced into labor!"

"Here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Hu did not hesitate at all and immediately went down to carry out the order.

Liu Yi, who was standing by, did not try to persuade him, but instead brought up another matter.

"Lord, there are still over 300 survivors from the previous Goguryeo rebel army. What should we do with them?"

"Huh? Not all of them died?"

Wei Zhe really didn't expect that this group of people were quite capable of saving their lives.

For a moment, Wei Zhe couldn't help but feel a headache.

Kill them all? That seems a bit rude.

Stay in the army? These few people won't be of much use.

Seeing Wei Zhe frowning slightly, Xi Zhicai immediately chuckled and said, "Mingsir, I have an idea!"

Without waiting for Wei Zhe to ask further questions, Xi Zhicai took the initiative to explain, "Goguryeo is full of mountains and deep valleys, with towns of all sizes scattered across the land like rat holes. If we attack them all, it would be a waste of manpower."

Hearing this, Wei Zhe suddenly became thoughtful.

"You mean... to let these people guard the Goguryeo area?"

Xi Zhicai nodded upon hearing this: "Exactly, the method of restraint is just right for this place!"

Hearing him say this, Wei Zhe suddenly felt a little hesitant.

At the beginning, he had no expectations for the various Goguryeo rebel forces, he just wanted to cause trouble.

At most, they can serve as consumables again when the Han army attacks the city.

However, Xi Zhicai's suggestion just now gave Wei Zhe new inspiration.

To be precise, it gave Wei Zhe a concrete idea about the governance of Goguryeo after the war.

First of all, given the geographical and cultural environment of Goguryeo, it was definitely unrealistic to station troops there.

The reason is simple: too few troops would be useless, but too many would put too much pressure on logistics.

Of course, the garrison's logistics can be fully satisfied by exploiting the Goguryeo people, but this is not a long-term solution.

Over time, the presence of garrisons will lead to instability in the surrounding areas.

However, if the Liaodong counties were to bear the responsibility themselves, it would still be unrealistic after a long time.

Even if you can afford it, it is still a loss-making business to keep paying money and food subsidies.

Especially since the world will soon be in chaos, it is obviously unwise for Liaodong to bear another burden at this time.

This is also the reason why Cao Wei did not station troops after Guanqiu Jian destroyed Goguryeo.

As for migrating a large number of Han immigrants to fill the Goguryeo population, that is even more unrealistic.

Now Han immigrants are needed everywhere in Liaodong. Every place is important and there is really no spare capacity.

In this case, winning over branches is undoubtedly the most appropriate means at the moment!

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe finally made a decision.

Wei Zhe's expression turned serious and he said, "Call them over here, I will reward them according to their merits!"

Xi Zhicai burst out laughing upon hearing this, obviously understanding what he wanted to do.

What happened next was exactly as Xi Zhicai had expected.

When the more than 300 surviving Goguryeo rebels arrived trembling with fear, they did not expect Wei Zhe to comfort them in a gentle voice and praise them as loyal and righteous people.

After being treated to a meal of delicious wine and meat, and also being rewarded with a few noble ladies from Goguryeo, this group of people immediately became dizzy again.

The converts may be fanatical or conquered by Wei Zhe's personal charm.

Anyway, after being pulled by Wei Zhe, this group of volunteers immediately began to recommend themselves to Wei Zhe.

The words about being the vanguard and willing to lead the way for the army were spoken with ease and without pause.

However, what surprised and delighted these people was that Wei Zhe not only stopped them from continuing to fight for their lives, but also gave them a great fortune!

Wei Zhe just waved his hand with great ambition.

"All the surrounding towns and villages will belong to you. How much you can take is up to you. If you can build a city and grant it land, you can also establish your own country. This commander can ask the court for a title on your behalf!"

As soon as these words were spoken, every Goguryeo rebel present became jealous.

After all, if the Han Dynasty officially grants the title, then the position of the king may really be passed down from generation to generation!
Thinking of this, many people were even so excited that they couldn't speak, and could only kowtow to Wei Zhe.

That night, all three hundred people left, trying every possible way to recruit soldiers and horses to attack cities and seize land.

But unlike before, they are all ambitious now.

Of course, it is hard to say how many people can survive to the end and successfully realize their dreams.

On the contrary, when the news spread, many Goguryeo rebels rushed towards the Han army like moths to a flame.

Even though they knew they would be cannon fodder for the Han army after arriving, it still couldn't stop their enthusiasm.

Because everyone wants to be recognized by Wei Zhe as a loyal and righteous person so that they can win the position of leader!
As time went by, the number of Goguryeo vassal troops under Wei Zhe's command increased.

Only Gao Nanwu from Guoguo City was so angry when he heard about this that he vomited blood and fainted on the spot.

You know, he's still alive!
Isn't it too disrespectful to start rewarding people based on their merits and dividing up Goguryeo now?
However, at this moment the situation was completely out of Gao Nanwu's control.

Apart from the areas surrounding the inner city, he was no longer able to command other towns and villages.

In this torment, Wei Zhe and Taishi Ci finally reunited at the gate of the city...

(End of this chapter)