Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 256 The Mansion

The handover of Taishan Commandery went very smoothly. Piluhun kept his word and ceded Gaixian and Dongpingyang to Liu Daogui.

However, the county's population migrated to Guanggu.

Liu Daogui was slightly displeased, but he didn't say much, since many people had followed him voluntarily.

Murong Tong was still holding out in Fenggao City. Liu Daogui had Dai Qi write a beautifully written letter urging him to surrender. He said that Fenggao was already an isolated city, and if he surrendered soon, he would be treated as an honored guest. Even if he was unwilling to surrender, he could still write the letter. Liu Daogui then let him return to Hebei.

It is full of sincerity and emphasizes harmony.

But Murong Tong ignored him, seemingly still harboring some expectation for the north.

Unable to capture Zhongshan and Yecheng, Tuoba Gui withdrew his troops and prepared to retreat.

This gave Murong Tong a glimmer of hope.

Zhongshan is located on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains and has always been a strategic location in Hebei Province. It is surrounded by mountains, including Hengshan, Heishan, Yaoshan, Jiashan, and Changshan, hence the name Zhongshan. The Hutuo River flows from west to east, serving as a natural barrier for the area.

The eighth most powerful state during the Warring States period, Zhongshan, established its capital here.

It is easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it impossible to deploy a large number of troops.

The elite cavalry of Yan's Longcheng still exists, and there are still hundreds of thousands of able-bodied men in the city, with ample food and military supplies.

Although the Wei army was formidable, it consisted mostly of cavalry, and under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for them to breach Zhongshan.

At this critical moment, internal strife broke out in the rear of Wei. The previously conquered Helan, Helin, and Hexi tribes rose up in rebellion. Tuoba Gui's prolonged siege of Zhongshan had failed, making a retreat inevitable.

"Since Murong Tong is unwilling to surrender, let's wait it out. We'll blockade the Si River first, and then attack when spring comes next year."

Fenggao is located south of the Sishui River. Liu Daogui has a navy under his command, so Murong Tong is basically trapped.

Wang Yuande suggested, "The military households are scattered in various places and are inconvenient to manage. It would be better to move them all to Rencheng."

Military households were not ordinary people; they were required to go to war during times of war.

Scattered across various locations, mobilization efficiency was greatly reduced.

When a major battle occurs, military households arrive in groups of three or five, and just organizing them requires a great deal of effort.

Moreover, it's unrealistic to relocate them all to Rencheng. After all, their land is divided in Lanling and Lu County, and it's all cultivated land. They certainly wouldn't be willing to come to Rencheng to cultivate uncultivated land.

It takes at least three years to turn a piece of raw land into cultivated land.

Much of the land north and west of the Si River was used for military settlements and was cultivated by slaves.

A sudden inspiration struck Liu Daogui: "Then we will set up four military command posts in Lu County, Lanling, Rencheng, and Gaoping. Each command post will be headed by a Sima, a Zhubu, and a Duhu, responsible for training the military households and stockpiling warhorses, livestock, tents, carts, weapons, and armor. In the event of a major battle, the military order will be issued to a command post, which will then gather the soldiers and advance together!"

With the establishment of the Zhechong Prefecture, military households were officially registered. In the event of a major battle, military households were directly converted into soldiers and led to the battlefield by the Zhechong Commander, who then handed them over to the participating generals.

This greatly enhances mobilization capabilities.

Each military household had land and surplus reserves, so they didn't have to worry about food supplies.

This is much better than the haphazardly built eight buildings; the management is more refined and better suited to the current situation.

When the enemy came, Liu Daogui issued a military order, and the four-fold advance to the capital, along with 8,372 military households, could gather 8,300 soldiers in three to five days.

There is no perfect system in the world; it can only be constantly adjusted according to the situation.

Just like a growing teenager, one must wear suitable shoes to move forward steadily.

In the past, we were so poor we could barely survive, so eight buildings were a perfect fit. Now that we're a large and prosperous family, a military outpost would be more efficient.

In fact, the various military offices established by the Jin dynasty today are actually military command offices.

The generals of the Northern Army followed a similar pattern; when faced with a major battle, each general of the Northern Army led his troops to participate in the war.

The only drawback was that the soldiers were dependent on their generals, only listening to the generals and unaware of the imperial court.

Within the Zhechong Prefecture, the Sima (military officer) was responsible for training, the Zhubu (chief clerk) was in charge of military equipment and logistics, and supervision and inspection were carried out. In the event of a major battle, the military government would assign generals, thus eliminating the possibility of the Zhechong Prefecture becoming dependent on a particular general.

Liu Daogui distributed land to the military households, thus ensuring their loyalty.

Perhaps one day, various problems will arise in the Zhechong Prefecture, but for now, it is the most suitable.

With 6,000 central troops under his command, plus the 8,372 military households, Liu Daogui's actual military strength approached 20,000, enough to handle any major battle.

Wang Yuande was taken aback at first, then exclaimed in admiration, "To resolve conflicts a thousand miles away without even leaving the banquet hall, General, your strategy is truly groundbreaking!"

Liu Daogui laughed and said, "When you're in dire straits, you have to change. If you change, you'll make progress. We're starting from scratch and have no backers, so we can only find our own way. The four commanders are Xu Changming, Gou Zhong, Liu Duozhi, and Jiang Daoheng. The supervisors will be selected from the previous supervisors and officers, and the clerk will be a literate person."

"I accept the order!" Wang Yuande bowed.

This kind of appointment is done with just a word. Many military households used to be eight households, so for them, it was just a change of name.

As long as their interests are not infringed, it's fine.

In less than half a month, the framework of the Sizhechong Prefecture was established. The selection of Sima and Duhu was easy, as they could be chosen directly from the army. However, the selection of the chief clerk was more difficult.

These days, there aren't many people who can read and write.

They could only choose descendants from the Liu, Xiao, and Cao families.

It just so happened that Uncle Xiao Yuanzhi had previously recommended two members of the Xiao family. Xiao Mozhi was his mother Xiao Wenshou's cousin and also Liu Daogui's uncle. He was thirty-five or thirty-six years old, mature and steady, not good at socializing, but his talent was real.

The other person was named Xiao Yuanzhi, who was only fifteen years old. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts and had an extraordinary appearance. His father was Xiao Zhuo, the magistrate of Taoyang County.

The infighting in Jiangzuo was fierce, and the Xiao family, a third-rate aristocratic family, naturally did not catch the eye of the imperial court.

Cao Sifei also recommended two members of the clan, Cao Yun and Cao Lin, who are rising stars in the Cao family. They are both around twenty years old and can be described as not particularly outstanding, but they are skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Fathers and sons fight together in battle, and brothers fight together in war.

These days, clan ties are the best choice, but marriage is also very important.

Sima Yi built a thick network of connections among the gentry through marriage alliances, which is why during the Incident at Gaoping Tombs, most of the gentry sided with the Sima family…

The Xiao family has kept a low profile over the years, but their family traditions are upright and their foundation is solid. All the members of the family are talented, so when Liu Daogui needed people, he naturally accepted all of them.

Shen Yuehan also recommended her younger brother, Shen Qingzhi.

“Your younger brother is only twelve years old this year…” How could Liu Daogui not know what he was thinking?
After giving birth to Liu Yixing, she wanted to pave the way for her son.

Among the naval forces, most were from Wuxing, and there were also quite a few from the Shen family. "Although my younger brother is only twelve, he is exceptionally brave and a promising talent." After giving birth to Liu Daogui's only child, Shen Yuehan's status in the household rose steadily.

However, Cao Sifei's pregnancy has shown signs of improvement, and this time it's unknown whether it's a boy or a girl.

"I'll keep him around and train him first."

Like the Liu family of Pengcheng, the Shen family of Wuxing established itself through martial arts and produced many formidable figures, among whom Shen Qingzhi was the most capable.

These days, twelve years old is considered an adult, and many people go on to join the army.

Liu Yixing was born to Shen Yuehan, but he was also her son. As a father, he naturally had to consider his son's future.

With the world in such chaos, the barbarians have already established themselves deeply in the north. It may take several generations to expel them and restore our land. The more talented people we have, the better.

"Thank you, my husband!" Shen Yuehan was overjoyed and immediately had someone summon Shen Qingzhi.

He was indeed born with extraordinary bravery and martial prowess, no less than Xiao Yuanzhi.

"This humble servant greets the General." Shen Qingzhi remained completely calm.

"What kind of official position do you plan to become?" Liu Daogui asked bluntly, deliberately probing him.

A person's shrewdness can be faked, but their true nature cannot.

Shen Qingzhi was taken aback.

Shen Yuehan became anxious, "Your brother isn't an outsider, hurry up and tell me."

Shen Qingzhi thought for a moment and calmly said, "I am willing to be a lowly soldier in the army!"

Shen Yuehan scolded playfully, "You silly child, what's wrong with you today?"

"That's ambitious!" Liu Daogui praised.

For a boy of this age to be so composed is a prerequisite for becoming a promising talent. Shen Yuehan was right; he is a promising prospect.

The Shen family of Wuxing were born at the wrong time, encountering the Sima family's southward migration, and were suppressed to the point of being unable to breathe.

In fact, in military campaigns, one relies on courage. As long as you dare to take up your sword and go into battle, you will not be bad. The second is composure, being able to remain calm on the battlefield.

"Husband—" Shen Yuehan said coquettishly.

Since giving birth to her son, she has become even more radiant and beautiful, like a blooming flower.

"You're too young to join the army. How about you become a halberd bearer under my command first?"

"Thank you, General!" Shen Qingzhi calmly cupped his hands in thanks.

"Husband—"

"What do you know?" Liu Daogui's face darkened, and Shen Yuehan's expression changed, and she dared not speak again.

Besides the Xiao, Cao, and Shen families, the Liu family of Pengcheng was naturally also included.

Liu Daogui promoted five of his sons, who were of good character and skilled in both literature and martial arts, to the position of aide.

Two of them are Liu Huaisu's younger brothers, Liu Huaijing and Liu Huaimo.

Liu Huaisu and Liu Huaishen were both talented in both literature and martial arts, but his two younger brothers were only of average appearance. They were decent in martial arts and could read, but they lacked the intelligence and competence that Liu Huaishen possessed.

Of course, he was competent as a junior officer.

At least in terms of loyalty, there is absolutely no problem.

After Liu Laozhi rose to prominence, he did not promote his clan much, which led to a less close relationship with the Liu family of Pengcheng. The younger members of the clan either sided with Liu Daogui or his elder brother Liu Yu.

However, something that would give Liu Daogui a headache soon followed.

The mother, Xiao Wenshou, handed over her second brother, Liu Daolian, to Liu Daogui, asking him to "help out" a little.

Without any hesitation, he made an outrageous demand right away: "With my talent, let me be a prefect first."

Liu Daogui looked him up and down. Even after getting married, he still didn't act properly and his speech and behavior were quite frivolous. He was a little displeased, but after all, he was his elder brother and they had grown up together since childhood. "The military government has its own rules. You are new here, and the position of military advisor is still vacant. As for the position of prefect, don't even think about it. That's a matter for the court."

"The traitorous military advisor..." Liu Daolian said listlessly.

"If you don't like it, then go back and take care of your mother first."

"Alright, we'll make do for now."

Liu Daogui was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say. He didn't expect him to be particularly helpful, as long as he didn't cause any trouble.

His mother, Xiao Wenshou, entrusted him with this mission, so we can't just send him back like that. A person who doesn't even care for his own brothers will become a laughing stock.

Having grown up together like brothers, Liu Daogui knew his character well and instructed Liu Huaishen to keep an eye on him.

As another year draws to a close, another major event has occurred in the north.

Unable to conquer Zhongshan, Tuoba Gui prepared to retreat.

Murong Bao, for some unknown reason, took the initiative to leave the city to pursue the enemy. He had 120,000 infantry and 37,000 cavalry, stationed at Quyang and Baisi. The Wei army reined in their horses at Xinliang.

Murong Bao ordered Murong Long to lead the elite Longcheng cavalry in a night raid on the Wei army, resulting in a major defeat and the loss of six out of ten of the Longcheng elite troops.

The morale of the Yan army was dampened, and the troops were thrown into disarray.

Following the advice of Murong Lin and Murong Nong, Murong Bao withdrew his troops and returned to Zhongshan.

But leaving the city was easy, but returning was difficult. Tuoba Gui was just waiting for this decisive battle, and seeing the Yan army retreat, he decisively pursued them.

In the midst of the great battle, Murong Bao was terrified and abandoned his main army with Murong Nong and Murong Lin, fleeing with only 20,000 men. They encountered a snowstorm, and the dead froze to death, their bodies piled up on the roadside...

Liu Daogui was speechless after hearing the military report.

With hundreds of thousands of troops facing off, Murong Bao actually considered retreating...

Neither Murong nor Murong Long tried to dissuade him, and after Murong Chui's death, the Yan state had no successor.

Murong Bao's name was not wrong; he was born to be a treasure, feeding the once-powerful Yan Kingdom bit by bit to Tuoba Gui.

(End of this chapter)