Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 218

The heads of the defenders were cut off and hung on long spears, and Yu Huan's body was also hung on wooden stakes and paraded throughout the city.

Soon, the sound of a woman crying could be heard throughout the city; it was a very pitiful sound.

Liu Daogui sighed inwardly. Yu Huan was a northerner from a nomadic tribe and had never treated the people of the Three Wu regions as human beings, which was why he had done such an incomprehensible thing.

Other prominent families with immigrant surnames are no different; they neither treat the people of the Wu region as human beings nor do they despise the migrants from the north who have come south.

The fact that such an unpopular court could persist for over eighty years was entirely due to the threat posed by the northern nomadic tribes, which instilled a sense of crisis in everyone, making them willingly enslaved and exploited by them...

"Military advisor, there are 70,000 shi of grain and over 100,000 strings of cash in the treasury!" Xu Changming reported with a beaming face.

"Take out 40,000 strings of cash to reward the brothers, and load the rest onto the boat. Have Li Damu escort it back to Lanling. Gather the grain first and set up soup kitchens outside the city to appease the people."

Wucheng is located in the southwest of Taihu Lake and is connected to the Jiangzuo water network. Li Damu's seagoing ships can reach this place directly, which is quite convenient.

Yu Huan killed so many able-bodied men, thus saving a lot of grain.

Liu Daogui used it to win people's hearts.

Gao Xun interjected, "Send scouts to spread the news in the counties of Kuaiji, Danyang, Yixing, Linhai, and Dongyang."

Liu Daogui nodded, "That's right, spread the word about the porridge distribution in Wucheng to attract refugees!"

If the refugees are left unattended, they will eventually be coerced by the demons and bandits, and their influence will only grow stronger.

What we're fighting for now is the hearts and minds of the people.

Once the soup kitchen was set up, firewood stored in the city was taken out, a large pot was placed on it, some salt was sprinkled on, and in a short while, the aroma filled the air.

The people in the city rushed over, and some threw stones and spat at Yu Huan's corpse, clearly hating them intensely.

After venting their emotions and having eaten and drunk their fill, they began to respect the general in charge of the campaign and took the initiative to help with whatever they could.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Daogui ordered them to clear away the corpses outside the city and bury their relatives. Cries of grief rose and fell again, and many knelt down before Liu Daogui...

By the afternoon, the local refugees, having heard the news, also rushed over.

Last year, bandits caused chaos, burning granaries, burning houses, cutting down trees and filling wells, looting wealth, and destroying fields. They even killed infants. No sooner had the bandits left than the Northern Army came to burn, kill, and plunder again. The fields were abandoned and no one cultivated them. The entire Wu region was filled with refugees.

Survival is everyone's instinct.

Driven by hunger, no one cared whether Liu Daogui was a member of the Northern Army.

The eight counties of Wu originally had a large population of no less than two million. Although more than two hundred thousand were captured by Sun En, most of them fled to the mountains and marshes.

In just three days, six or seven thousand refugees gathered in Wucheng.

Even more people came from all over the country.

To prepare for the worst, Liu Daogui quickly submitted a memorial to Liu Laoshang, outlining his strategy for quelling the rebellion and requesting his support in terms of provisions.

His more than 10,000 elite troops from the Northern Army had arrived in Wu County, but in this year of war and chaos, provisions were a burden for everyone.

Three days later, only three hundred shi of grain were delivered; Liu Daogui was told to figure out the rest himself.

“What can I do? I’m not the Northern Commander…” Liu Daogui complained.

I don't know how Liu Laozhi became the Northern Commander-in-Chief; he seems so petty.

However, Liu Daogui also knew the reason: in those days, grain and supplies were concentrated in the hands of powerful clans and wealthy families, and Liu Laozhi, being from a humble background, could not get their support.

For nearly two hundred years during the Wei and Jin dynasties, the tradition was that whoever won over the gentry would win the world.

Fortunately, Yuan Song, the governor of Wu Commandery, greatly appreciated Liu Daogui's proposal to suppress the bandits and sent him a thousand shi of grain, promising that grain would be sent every month.

He also rallied powerful families from the three Wu regions, including Kong Jing and Yu Qiujin, who donated 7,000 shi of grain, which was delivered in succession. This alleviated the grain shortage.

With the support of powerful clans such as Yuan Song, Kong Jing, and Yu Qiujin, Liu Daogui's strategy to quell the rebellion has taken its first step.

With food, there is the will of the people.

Liu Daogui implemented a scorched-earth policy, selecting able-bodied men and setting up large flags in four colors: white, black, yellow, and red. The men followed the flags and established settlements for farming in the area.

This great battle is still uncertain and will likely last for a long time. An army's supplies must come before its troops can move, so planting more grain is always a good idea.

After the bodies were cleared away, Gao Xun led the refugees to build the Bailu and Shayue fortresses to guard the waterways and protect the two prefectures of Wuxing and Yixing.

The bandits swept through five prefectures south of the Qiantang River, and their forces rapidly expanded to nearly 70,000 to 80,000 men, who gathered in a mighty force south of the Qiantang River.

If there were only these 70,000 to 80,000 troops, the elite of the Northern Army would naturally not be afraid. Back then, Liu Laozhi's 5,000 troops dared to cross the Luo River to attack the Di-Qin army of 50,000.

However, the Di-Qin army at that time did not have a navy, while the rebels had an elite navy stationed in Shangyu, which could sail up the Qiantang River at any time and use the same trick to cut off the Northern Army's supply lines.

They could even bypass Wu Commandery by sea and attack Jinling and Guangling Commanderies...

With this navy in place, and the lingering momentum from the two heavy blows dealt to the Northern Army, Liu Laozhi became more cautious.

If he were to lose the war, not only would he be abandoned by the imperial court, but even the Northern Army would become disloyal.

They launched two probing attacks, but were forced to retreat both times due to reinforcements from the demon bandits' navy, and wait for an opportunity...

Liu Daogui's actions completely exceeded the authority and responsibility of a general, allowing the scattered people of Wuxing to survive.

Unlike the previous Northern Army, the Central Army under his command did not engage in burning, killing, and looting; order was maintained within the prefecture.

They set up four large flags of white, black, yellow, and red, and established them in the four counties of Wukang, Guzhang, Anji, and Yong'an. They settled and cultivated the land to defend the border, advancing towards Kuaiji Commandery without taking a step-by-step approach.

Unconsciously, Liu Daogui's reputation grew.

As for Yu Huan, he's dead, that's all. The things he did were so heinous that even Yuan Song wouldn't stand up for him, let alone anyone else.

These days, the death of a prefect is no different than crushing an ant.

The Yu family has lost power; when the wall falls, everyone pushes it down.

"Daoze, today another 1,700 people have broken away from the demon bandits and surrendered to our army!" Gao Xun was overjoyed.

After the four-colored flags were raised, thousands of people fled south from the Qiantang River every day.

They also had a hard time in the south. Bandits plundered everywhere and did not farm. With 80,000 people gathered together, the supply of food and fodder was a major problem.

“We’ve made the right move. In less than two months, the rebels will collapse on their own. I intend to send the whole army forward, occupy Yuhang, and head straight for the Qiantang River.” Liu Daogui was preparing to take another step forward.

Northerners ride horses, southerners row boats; the people of the Wu region are born with a natural talent for water.

The Qiantang River couldn't stop them.

If this method can be used to defeat the rebels, the three Wu regions and eight counties can be spared from the ravages of war, and there are no side effects.

In those days, as long as the people had something to eat, they would never rebel.

Gao Xun clapped his hands and laughed, "Brilliant plan! A good general is good at governing the army and also at governing the people. He is good at comforting the people, providing relief to refugees, saving countless lives, and his reputation is known throughout the three Wu and eight counties. Once your banner is raised, the demon bandits on the south bank will surely collapse."

“When did you, Brother Gao, become so good at flattery? There has never been a leader who could govern the people but strengthen the army. A commander cannot only know military affairs but also be ignorant of the people’s affairs.”

Liu Daogui's methods were actually learned from others.

(End of this chapter)