Han officials

On this day, at the Shuizhai on the west bank of Chaohu Lake.

Just as Wei Zhe was inspecting the Lujiang navy, he received an urgent military report from Wu County.

Wei Zhe opened it and immediately burst into laughter, his face beaming with joy:
"What a fine Yu Zhongxiang!"

"Now I know that Jiangdong is full of heroes!"

These words naturally brought pride to the officers and soldiers of the Lujiang naval force.

As generals from Jiangdong, they were actually worried that Wei Gong, who came from Liaodong, would look down on them, these southerners.

In contrast, Captain Lu Jun of Hengjiang was quite curious about the contents of the victory report.

Yu Zhongxiang? Could it be that the Yu family of Yuyao surrendered Kuaiji Commandery?

Wait a minute, isn't Yang Dao the governor of Kuaiji? When did it become the Yu family's place to make decisions?

In the blink of an eye, many guesses flashed through Lu Jun's mind.

At this moment, Xi Zhicai was also filled with curiosity.

Could it be that Xun You's attempt to persuade them to surrender failed, leaving him no choice but to resort to force to resolve the issue of Kuaiji Commandery's ownership?
Seeing his expression, Wei Zhe laughed and said:

"Gongda certainly lived up to expectations, and even did an outstanding job!"

After receiving the report of victory, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

After Kuaiji Commandery decided to surrender to Wei, Yu Fan, the commandery's chief clerk, not only repelled the attack of Liu Yao's troops, but also led 4,000 commandery soldiers and 3,000 local strongmen to counterattack Wu Commandery.

Furthermore, with Xun You's intervention, he joined forces with Xu Gong's troops, totaling 20,000 men, and trapped Liu Yao in Wu County.

Since Liu Yao had no foundation in Wu Commandery, and seeing his weakness, the powerful clans and wealthy families of Wu Commandery seized the opportunity to cooperate with the Wei army to break through the city.

In the Battle of Wu County, Xu Gong killed Liu Yao's generals Fan Neng, Yu Mi, and Zhang Ying, avenging his previous defeat.

Yu Fan even captured and killed Yan Baihu, and risked his life to pursue him to the East China Sea, where he beheaded Liu Yao near the coast.

This is why Wei Zhe praised Yu Fan so highly!

After all, if Liu Yao were to escape, the coastal area would inevitably face unrest in the future.

Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, is likely to become the biggest pirate in the coastal region!

It can be said that Yu Fan has made a great contribution this time!
With Liu Yao dead, Yangzhou will be much easier to manage, and Wei Zhe will at least save a year or two.

After reading it, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but laugh and exclaim:
"The matter of Yangzhou is settled!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe laughed heartily, feeling a surge of pleasure in his heart.

To command the heroes of the world for one's own use—there is no greater pleasure in the world!
However, in his joy, Wei Zhe did not forget to reward Yu Fan.

After a moment's hesitation, Wei Zhe gave the order:
"Send word to Yang Dao, Xu Gong, and Yu Fan to come to Hefei immediately!"

"The affairs of Kuaiji and Wu Commandery shall be temporarily handled by Gongda!"

Wei Zhe wasn't worried at all about whether Xu Gong would be willing to come and pay him a visit.

After all, if Xu Gong had any brains at all, he should know that this is his best opportunity.

However, just as Bu Zhi was about to accept the order and leave, Wei Zhe suddenly added:

"Furthermore, send this good news to Nanchang County in Yuzhang Prefecture. There is no need to say anything more to Zhou Shu."

At this point, Wei Zhe stroked his beard and smiled, saying:
"If he doesn't surrender, you can leave on your own."

Upon hearing this, Bu Zhi immediately understood what to say and promptly rode off with high spirits.

However, upon seeing this, Xi Zhicai smiled and shook his head, saying:
“Zhou Shu is a smart man; he will know what to do.”

Knowing that the six commanderies of Yangzhou—Jiujiang, Lujiang, Wu, Kuaiji, and Danyang—were all in the hands of the Wei army, even a fool like Zhou Shu should have understood what choice to make.

that's the truth.

Because Yuzhang Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery were adjacent, Zhou Shu learned of the change of allegiance to Kuaiji immediately afterward.

Even after he heard that Liu Yao had sent troops to attack Kuaiji, Zhou Shu still felt that Liu Yao's power was gone.

It should be noted that Kuaiji Commandery was even larger than Yanzhou.

With Kuaiji Commandery already surrendered to Wei, Liu Yao had no choice but to fight his way through to occupy such a large territory.

Regardless of the strength of Liu Yao's forces, even if he were to conquer Kuaiji, it would probably take him more than a year.

But can Wei give Liu Yao so much time to attack Kuaiji Commandery without interference?
Obviously impossible!
Therefore, when Zhou Shu learned that Kuaiji Commandery had surrendered to Wei, he understood that Liu Yao was finished.

So, before Bu Zhi even left Jiujiang County, Zhou Shu's letter of surrender was sent to Chaohu.

The once high-spirited Bu Zhi was thus frustrated and stopped in Lujiang, watching the great achievement that was about to be his slip away.

……

Three days later, in Hefei.

Despite Zhou Shu's long journey, Wei Zhe still treated him with great respect by hosting a banquet.

Of course, the main reason was that Zhou Shu was more sensible than he had expected, which made Wei Zhe quite fond of him.

As for Zhou Shu, he didn't feel any regret.

Although Yuzhang County was large, it was a dead end, and Zhou Shu never had any grand ambitions from the beginning.

The reason he kept holding onto Yuzhang Prefecture was simply to use it as leverage to gain wealth and power.

Zhou Shu was overjoyed at being transferred to the position of Prefect of Beihai.

The rank of his official position was secondary; the main thing was that with the State of Wei as his backer, his wealth and status for the rest of his life were finally secure.

In contrast, Wei Zhe's arrangement for Yang Dao was rather unconventional.

Because he arranged for Yang Dao to enter Zhixing Academy and appointed him as the supervisor.

Although Yang Dao was a little confused, he still bowed and thanked her respectfully.

After all, his father-in-law, Cai Yong, was in charge of the academy, so he wouldn't suffer any losses if he went in.

Moreover, this was an extremely prestigious job, and Yang Dao became more and more satisfied as he thought about it after he came to his senses.

After settling the two surrendered prefects, Wei Zhe began to chat with Yu Fan and Xu Gong with great interest.

After some conversation, Wei Zhe discovered that Xu Gong was nothing more than a military man, arrogant and ambitious.

Of course, Xu Gong dared not provoke Wei Zhe, and was even somewhat apprehensive.

There was nothing they could do; Wei Zhe himself was the most arrogant warrior in the world!

No matter how arrogant Xu Gong was, he knew he was nothing more than an ant in front of Wei Zhe.

Therefore, when Wei Zhe bestowed upon him the title of Wuwei Colonel and transferred him to the Yangtze River Navy to assist Lu Jun in training the inland river navy, Xu Gong knelt down to express his gratitude without hesitation.

In reality, he didn't have much confidence or leverage.

If it weren't for Yu Fan's intervention, Xu Gong would likely have been captured and killed by Liu Yao, with no chance of escaping to Taihu Lake. Of the four meritorious officials, Wei Zhe only treated Yu Fan with special regard.

He did not announce any rewards for Yu Fan at the banquet.

Seeing this, Yu Fan did not show any signs of anxiety or fear, but remained calm and composed, responding with ease.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe became even more satisfied.

So after the banquet, Wei Zhe kept Yu Fan behind for a private talk.

……

Afternoon, in the study.

Looking at the valiant and composed Yu Fan before him, Wei Zhe finally spoke and asked:
"Zhongxiang, how much do you know about Jiaozhou?"

Yu Fan was puzzled, but still immediately replied:

"In the first year of Zhongping, Jia Cong, the former governor of Jiaozhou, was ordered by the late emperor to be transferred to the position of governor of Jizhou."

"Zhu Fu, son of Zhu Jun, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, was appointed as the Governor of Jiaozhou to oversee the local area."

"However, Zhu Fu's governance was far inferior to Jia Cong's. When Jia Cong was in office, he reduced taxes, comforted refugees, punished corruption, and selected good officials. Within a year, Jiaozhi was brought to peace, and the people lived in prosperity. During his three years in office, Jiaozhou was rated as the best in the Han Dynasty!"

"But after Zhu Fu succeeded to the throne, he exploited the land for its pearls, kingfisher feathers, rhinoceros horns, hawksbill turtles, and exotic and precious materials, and his actions were quite tyrannical."

“I have heard that Zhu Fu once ordered the people to pay a bushel of rice as tax for every yellow croaker they caught.”

"Therefore, the people of Jiaozhou would rather endure hunger than catch fish to satisfy their own needs."

Why did Yu Fan know so much about the affairs of Jiaozhou?
Zhu Jun was from Shangyu, and Yu Fan was acquainted with Zhu Fu when he was young.

Even after Zhu Fu succeeded as the governor of Jiaozhou, he still wanted to recruit Yu Fan as an official in the governor's office.

However, Yu Fan knew this man's character well and was unwilling to follow his orders, so he refused the appointment.

Zhu Fu did not force the issue, but instead appointed Yu Fan's cousin Yu Bao and fellow villager Liu Yan as his subordinates, leading a group of Shangyu natives to act arrogantly and domineeringly in Jiaozhi.

Under these circumstances, Yu Fan's information channels had no choice but to be well-informed.

Hearing this, Wei Zhe was somewhat surprised; he really hadn't expected this unexpected surprise.

The reason he inquired about Jiaozhou was entirely because Zhu Fu was too arrogant.

After Yuzhang County surrendered, Wei Zhe had essentially occupied all of Yangzhou.

Therefore, after Zhou Shu surrendered his skills, Wei Zhe personally wrote a letter to Zhu Fu, the governor of Jiaozhou.

In his letter, he first recalled the past events of fighting the Yellow Turban Rebellion with Zhu Jun, praising Zhu Jun highly. Then, on the grounds that Yangzhou had returned to peace, he invited Zhu Fu to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors.

Their purpose was simply to take advantage of the momentum gained from pacifying Yangzhou and see if they could seize Jiaozhou in the process.

After all, Jiaozhou was an even more wild and uncivilized place than Liaodong. Its population and military equipment were far inferior to Yangzhou. Zhu Fu should have understood how to make the right choice!

Unexpectedly, Zhu Fu tore up the letter in public after receiving it and drove away the Wei envoy.

This greatly displeased Wei Zhe, who had just defeated Yuan Shu and captured Yangzhou!

Hmph! So out of touch with reality!

However, he remained rational and did not become complacent because of a few big wins.

This private talk with Yu Fan was also to consider how to deal with Jiaozhou.

Should we directly conquer them with a large army, or try to appease them through various means?

Before Wei Zhe could make a decision, Yu Fan, who knew the reason, quickly advised him:

"Your Highness, calm down!"

"Although Zhu Fu is not in accordance with the will of Heaven, Jiaozhi is certainly not a safe place. Your Highness should be cautious in your use of troops."

Wei Zhe didn't feel offended at all; instead, he humbly asked:
"What's the meaning of this statement?"

Yu Fan immediately dipped his finger in wine and drew a picture on the table to illustrate:
"In the sixth year of Yuanding (111 BC), Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty destroyed the Nanyue Kingdom and established nine commanderies: Nanhai, Cangwu, Yulin, Hepu, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, Rinan, Zhuya, and Dan'er. Only then did the Jiaozhi Prefecture come into being."

"Later, at the end of the Former Han Dynasty, the two commanderies of Zhuyai and Dan'er were abolished, hence the seven commanderies of Jiaozhou today."

“In these seven prefectures, there are more native people than Han people, and the area is plagued by miasma.”

"Although the army Your Highness led this time is exceptionally elite, composed of battle-hardened warriors, they are ultimately northerners."

"Once the army enters Jiaozhi to fight, it will probably suffer losses of 30-40%, which will only deplete its strength."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe fell silent.

To be honest, miasma was a completely foreign concept to him.

I haven't seen it since later generations, and after coming to the Han Dynasty, I've been active in the north, so I've seen it even less often.

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but say:

"The miasma in Jiaozhou is so vicious, how can the people here survive?"

"The people are shaped by the environment they live in!"

Yu Fan's single sentence left Wei Zhe speechless.

However, according to Yu Fan's explanation, even the locals of Jiaozhou could not tolerate the miasma.

It's just that they've lived on that land for generations and know how to avoid and deal with it.

However, once the Northern army enters, they will inevitably fall into the trap.

For example, when the First Emperor conquered the Southern Yue Kingdom, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded.

The same was true during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han; the Northern Army was often less than half the fighting strength it could muster in Jiaozhi.

Therefore, Yu Fan's advice was—to proceed slowly!
In his words, it was a real pity that such a battle-hardened elite force as the Wei army was lost in Jiaozhi.

It would be better to let Zhu Fu off the hook for now and deal with the barbarians according to the local conditions!

After he expressed his opinion, Wei Zhe finally gave up the idea of ​​sending troops.

At the same time, he also realized that he had not misjudged the person.

This is the governor of Jiaozhi he needs, and also his future governor of Jiaozhou!
Thinking of this, Wei Zhe finally smiled.

"Yu Fan, listen to my command. I hereby appoint you as the Prefect of Nanhai."

"I entrust all affairs in the southeast to you!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Fan was filled with excitement.

He understood what a tremendous opportunity this was; perhaps his life's work would be decided in this one moment.

So he suppressed his excitement, prostrated himself before Wei Zhe, and solemnly said:
Even if I die and my soul is destroyed, I will never disappoint Your Highness!

Even though his position as the Prefect of the South China Sea was currently just a nominal one, requiring Yu Fan to personally seize it from Jiaozhou, he showed no fear whatsoever… (End of Chapter)