Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 255 Alliance

After capturing the three northern prefectures, the Yan army remained inactive.

Liu Daogui's gaze turned to Taishan County in the northeast.

Located at the easternmost part of Yanzhou, this place holds the highest strategic position and is also the largest prefecture. Backed by Mount Tai, it commands a commanding view of Qingzhou to the north, Xuzhou to the south, and Yanzhou to the west.

During the Former Han Dynasty, it governed twenty counties. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the Taishan bandits roamed the Central Plains. They were subdued by Cao Cao, who then established Dongguan Commandery to divide their power.

Even so, there were eleven counties, exceeding the eight counties that Liu Daogui occupied in the middle and upper reaches of Sishui.

Crucially, it is backed by Mount Tai, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, thus preventing the northern nomadic cavalry from advancing south.

The snow came earlier this year; it was only October when the cold winds raged and heavy snow fell.

Liu Daogui was warming himself by a fire in the military camp, planning for the coming year with Gao Xun and Dai Qizhi, when Meng Ganzhi lifted the tent flap and entered.

"Pilü Hun of Qingzhou in the north has marched out of Linqu and has already captured Laiwu!"

"So fast?"

Piluhun had been keeping a low profile for years, making no real impact, but he suddenly made a move.

In fact, Qingzhou was not owned by him alone. Several other forces were also involved, forming an alliance that was caught between Jin and Yan, sometimes submitting to Yan and sometimes pledging allegiance to Jin.

The Bilu clan was also a powerful clan in Qingzhou. During the reign of Duan Qi, Bilu Hun's father, Bilu Wei, was a "royal friend" of King Duan Kan of Qi. He was quite virtuous and had a great reputation. Murong Ke had admired him for a long time and sent people to search for him. When he learned that he had died in the chaos of war, he was heartbroken.

When the Di-Qin dynasty swept across Guandong, the Bilu clan was once again given important positions, and Bilu Hun became Fu Lang's chief advisor.

The Di-Qin state fell, but Biluhun, a powerful local clan, did not. He fought against the Yan state several times and repelled Murong Shao's attack.

Meng Gan said, "With Murong Chui's death, Hebei is in chaos, and the Yan state is in grave danger. Naturally, the various forces in the south will not let this opportunity pass."

With Murong Chui's death, the Yan state seemed to have lost its backbone, and was bullied by Tuoba Gui. Jinyang was lost, and Xindu, an important town in Hebei, was also lost.

The Yan army didn't even have the courage to leave the city for a decisive battle, and instead remained holed up and refused to come out.

Who could have imagined that just two years ago, the Yan state had aggressively destroyed the Western Yan state, only to suffer a crushing defeat in the blink of an eye?

Deep down, he was reluctant to engage in armed conflict with Piluhun.

Qingzhou had been free from war for many years and was very powerful, while Bilu was still the governor of Youzhou and the General of Longxiang of the Jin Dynasty.

Liu Daogui's current focus is mainly on Yanzhou, and Mount Tai is within the territory of Yanzhou, not Qingzhou.

"Let Liu Guangzhi lead his troops eastward to block Fenggao and prevent the Yan army from surrendering to Biluhun. Dai Qizhi, listen to my order and immediately go to Qingzhou to persuade Biluhun to stop while he is ahead and not to damage the harmony between the two families."

Fenggao was an important town on the upper reaches of the Sishui River and the seat of Taishan County.

“Me?” Dai Qi was taken aback, his face filled with fear. “Then… Pilu is surrounded by Hu people… your subordinate…”

The smarter a person is, the more afraid they are of death.

No one knows what the situation is in Qingzhou or what Piluhun is thinking.

Killing Dai Qizhi is no different from killing a chicken.

Gao Xun said, "I will go with you. The Gao family comes from Qi, so I'm sure Pilu Hun won't make things difficult for me."

The Gao clan of Le'an and the Gao clan of Bohai are from the same family, both located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

“Okay.” Liu Daogui nodded in agreement.

Dai Qi was timid and adept at plotting and scheming behind the scenes, but what was needed when he was sent on a mission was courage.

The two clasped their hands in greeting, then turned and left.

In this kind of weather, news travels slowly, and marching is also slow.

Taishan County was not unclaimed territory. Murong Tong, the governor of Taishan in Yan, still had nearly 10,000 troops under his command. Although they were mostly surrendered soldiers from Zhai and Wei, it would not be easy to take the city if they held it to the death.

Sure enough, five days later, news came back from the front that Liu Guangzhi's offensive was not going well.

The Yan army defended the city to the death.

However, Piluhun led his troops out of Laiwu and attacked and captured Gaixian to the south. Zhang Qi, a powerful clan leader in Dongpingyang, surrendered the city.

Taishan County is geographically closer to Qingzhou, and Muling Pass, known as the natural barrier of southern Qi, is located within Linqu County, giving Bilu Hun a natural advantage over these areas.

Three days later, Gao Xun and Dai Qizhi returned.

Gao Xun said, "Pilü Hun said he had no intention of annexing Taishan County and was willing to make peace between the two families to jointly resist the Suo Lu. He said he could return Gai County and Dongpingyang, but Laiwu is the gateway to Qingzhou, so please forgive him, General."

Dai Qizhi stroked his two rat-like whiskers. "General, you have repeatedly defeated the Yan army. Pilu Hun is extremely wary of you and occupies Laiwu because he is afraid that you will attack him."

Sishui is right next to Qingzhou, and its southern region has been thriving in recent years, which inevitably aroused the vigilance of Biluhun.

The previous battles of Dayeze, Sishui, and Xiaqiu all took place right under Piluhun's nose, so he couldn't possibly pretend he didn't see them.

The fact that the other party was so easy to talk to made Liu Daogui's life much easier.

The current situation is actually one where the other side is strong and we are weak.

Piluhun was able to resist Murong Shao back then, so he was quite powerful. Moreover, he was a powerful clan in Qingzhou with a solid foundation. Liu Daogui knew his own limitations and did not currently have the strength to deal with them.

"It's just Laiwu, if he wants it, let him have it." Liu Daogui didn't care.

The alliance with Biluhun was extremely beneficial, as it eliminated the threat from the northeast and allowed them to concentrate their efforts on the two provinces of Yan and Yu in the Central Plains.

Dai Qi said sinisterly, "From what I've seen along the way, Qingzhou has a large population of no less than a million. Merchants flock here, and money and grain are plentiful. Qingzhou has fertile land for thousands of miles, with the Yellow River as a moat to the north and Mount Tai as a screen to the southwest. This is a place to establish a career, comparable to Guanzhong. Pi Lu Hun has always been weak and incompetent. Why doesn't the general make preparations sooner?" Liu Daogui was stunned. This guy... was indeed full of bad intentions.

While others were seeking peace, he was plotting to seize their territory.

However, Liu Daogui was indeed very tempted. Huaisi was indeed a good place, but the problem was that Liu Daogui came from a poor family, had a weak foundation, and was sandwiched between the north and the south with no natural defenses.

Neither the Sishui River nor the Daye Marsh can be considered an insurmountable barrier. Once the Hu people unified the north, they could move south at any time.

If we can conquer Qingzhou, we will soar to great heights.

A population of over one million...

Gao Xun, however, poured cold water on the situation, saying, "Guanggu City is high and its moats are deep. Biluhun has 20,000 elite troops and 50,000 military households under his command, with ample food and weapons. In the short term, our army is no match for them. Moreover, our army has attacked Qingzhou without authorization, and the court will certainly not sit idly by. Biluhun is the governor of Youzhou of the court. General, you have always taken it as your duty to drive out the barbarians and restore our land. If you do not punish the barbarians but instead kill each other, it will surely discourage those with lofty ideals."

If the name is not correct, the words will not ring true.

Liu Daogui's current power is not so great that he can disregard righteousness and legitimacy.

They only captured Gaoping and Rencheng last year, and this year they recovered Jiyin, Dongping and Shanyang. They've expanded too fast.

Many places are already struggling to operate, and now they're going to provoke Bilu Hun—it's truly unwise.

Liu Daogui calmed down and said, "Brother Gao is absolutely right. In the grand plan of the Northern Expedition, we must not be greedy for merit and act rashly."

Gao Xun said, "There will be a dramatic change in Jiangzuo. Demons and bandits are rampant in the east, and the Huan clan is eyeing us in the west. The right path is to support the country and save the people from suffering."

Of all the lands under heaven, the Jiangzuo region still has the largest population and the most abundant resources.

Liu Daogui's foundation is in the Northern Prefecture. If he wants to achieve great things, he still needs to look to the south and draw more resources. Otherwise, relying solely on the Huai and Si Rivers, he simply cannot compete with the northern barbarians.

Like the State of Wei, whose roots were in the southern desert, drawing on the manpower and resources of various tribes on the grasslands, it marched south to contend with the State of Yan.

For the past eighty years, the Huai and Si rivers have served as a buffer zone between the north and south. Their population has dwindled and their fields have become barren. Without decades of development, they simply cannot recover.

However, the overall situation in the world would never give Liu Daogui the opportunity to operate in peace.

Therefore, we must never break away from the Northern Army or the Jiangzuo region.

"Without your words, Brother Gao, I would have been completely mistaken!" Liu Daogui bowed respectfully, completely convinced.

These days there are two great banners: one is to recover the lost territories, and the other is to "support" the nation. Huan Wen took this path back then.

Gao Xun returned the greeting, saying, "I spoke rashly for a moment, please forgive me, General."

"This is not idle talk, but golden advice!"

You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to go step by step.

Murong Chui was invincible in every battle, but in the Battle of Canhebei, he sent them all back.

Liu Daogui calmed down and realized that the past two years had actually been a golden opportunity for his development.

The Yan state had no time to attend to its southern borders, and the court was also in a state of chaos due to the machinations of Huan Xuan and Sun En.

Liu Daogui, along with Wang Yuande, Gao Xun, Dai Qizhi, and Cao Ji, discussed and decided on five strategies: recruiting refugees, reclaiming wasteland, training military households, encouraging childbirth, and stockpiling grain and fodder.

Let Mao Dezhu, Tan Daoji, and Liu Zhong raise their banners in the north to pacify the displaced people.

Wang Yuande and Dai Qi led the slave households to continue reclaiming wasteland to the north and west. Planting anything was better than leaving it barren.

Currently, there are 8,372 military households, 17,000 civilian households, and over 37,000 slaves under his jurisdiction, most of whom are captives and none of them are married.

Since we should encourage childbirth, we can't ignore the slaves.

Liu Daogui directly ordered the military government to match them with women.

These days, there are more women than men, and women are everywhere. As long as they have food to eat and someone to rely on, they won't be picky.

Many slaves who achieved military merit were promoted to military households overnight.

With the upward mobility channel opened, those below had little to complain about.

Moreover, the slaves under Liu Daogui's rule did not live badly. Every few days, they could eat a meal of white rice, and when they encountered heavy work or a major battle, they could also drink meat soup.

Many people in Jiangdong could not live like this.

Once slaves marry and start families, their minds will settle down, and they won't think about escaping.

Regardless of whether the child is a boy or a girl, military households receive a monthly allowance of one dou of grain, civilian households receive seven sheng, and slave households receive five sheng, until the child is five years old.

Within the territory, all males must marry at sixteen and all females at fourteen, otherwise they will be subject to one month of corvée labor.

The Huai and Si rivers have always been granaries. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, there were large-scale military farms. The water network system was well-developed, and with a little maintenance, there was a bumper harvest almost every year.

Back then, Deng Ai made a wild statement in his discourse on crossing the river: "If 50,000 people take turns planting, they can accumulate 5 million shi (a unit of dry measure) each year. In six or seven years, they can accumulate 30 million hu (another unit of dry measure) on the banks of the Huai River. With this, they can take advantage of Wu and be invincible."

Achieving five million shi (a unit of dry measure) annually is somewhat difficult. Liu Daogui implemented a policy of light taxes and levies, with the vast majority of grain coming from slaves. This year, only eight hundred thousand shi have been accumulated.

With this amount of grain, the monthly subsidy of one dou (a unit of dry measure) of grain is a piece of cake.

As the number of slaves increases, more and more land is reclaimed, and grain production will continue to grow.

Liu Daogui was also willing to use his resources on the common people.

(End of this chapter)