Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 357 Return

Hongnong was captured and was garrisoned by Mao Dezhu, the governor of Sizhou.

Liu Jingxuan rushed to Jinling County, and Sima Xiuzhi rushed to Wuling County, passing through Xiangyang.

The force was vast, numbering no less than six or seven thousand. During the attack on Hongnong County, neither of them forgot to recruit soldiers.

However, this is standard practice. Military power in the Jin Dynasty was decentralized, and each general had his own troops. Now that war was raging, these troops were becoming increasingly important.

"Thank you for taking us in and promoting us, General. We have found a place to stay. We offer all the prisoners, cattle, sheep, money and silk we have captured in this battle to you." Sima Xiu stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Despite her young age, her temples were already streaked with white, and the wrinkles on her face made her look exceptionally mature.

"You are too kind, Prefect. It is a joyous occasion to return to my homeland." Liu Daogui quickly returned the greeting, his opinion of the Prefect rising. It was rare for a member of the imperial family to be so polite.

In the past, all the noble families I encountered were arrogant and never looked at me with respect.

Sima Xiuzhi said with utmost sincerity, "From now on, if the Commander-in-Chief has any orders, I am willing to serve him like a dog or a horse, without any complaints."

Liu Daogui was taken aback. These words were no longer just polite formalities; it seemed he wanted to pledge allegiance to him.

This person is wise.

The Sima family was betrayed by Huan Xuan, kicked off the throne, and their last shred of dignity was trampled on.

Furthermore, the repeated raids on the three Wu regions and eight counties by bandits further severed the foundation of the Sima family.

Even without the brothers Liu Daogui and Liu Yu, the Jin dynasty would have had a hard time continuing. It had become a lamb to the slaughter, waiting for others to launch a northern expedition and then take its place.

Sima Xiuzhi was a descendant of Sima Jin, a Zhonglang of Cao Wei. Sima Jin was the younger brother of Sima Yi, while Sima Xiuzhi was the fourth son of Sima Tian. He was not a direct descendant of the Sima family and has not yet been granted a title.

Even husbands and wives will abandon each other when disaster strikes, let alone clans beyond five degrees of kinship.

There's no affection left between us.

"You flatter me, Prefect. Let us work together to serve the country from now on." Liu Daogui neither refused nor immediately accepted.

The current situation is still unclear, and no one knows what the future holds.

Since Sima Xiuzhi is new here, it is not appropriate for him to appear too close.

“What Agui says is very true. The Northern Army is one family under heaven. From now on, we will work together to support the country.” Liu Jingxuan was completely unaware of the subtle tension between the two.

These words caused the faces of the surrounding Northern and Western Army generals to stiffen.

It's a bit inappropriate to call someone by their nickname in front of so many people.

Although Liu Jingxuan was the son of Liu Laozhi, Liu Laozhi's era had passed, and the power struggle in Jiangzuo had changed hands several times.

Although Liu Daogui was only a General of the Cavalry, he was one of only two people in power.

"Come on, let's have a drink." Liu Daogui naturally didn't care about these things and took the two of them to their seats.

There were no dancers, no Five-Stone Powder, only newly brewed millet wine and stewed mutton.

Soldiers, officers, and Liu Daogui all ate the same food at banquets. Officers were also forbidden from having special meals. As long as they were in the army, they ate whatever was available.

It's impossible to achieve absolute fairness; we can only achieve relative fairness.

Liu Jingxuan and Sima Xiuzhi were both military generals who had been wandering outside for several years. They were not so delicate and ate meat and drank wine in large quantities.

Their officers and generals were all from the Northern Army, and after a few drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

Only Sima Xiuzhi was overly cautious, his every move too deliberate, contrasting sharply with Liu Jingxuan's carefree and easygoing nature.

Throughout the banquet, few people toasted him; most toasted Liu Jingxuan instead.

Liu Jingxuan accepted all comers.

After they had drunk enough, all the bystanders withdrew. Sima Xiuzhi, half-drunk and half-awake, pulled a six or seven-year-old child along and said, "This is my son, Sima Wensi. He wishes to stay in Xiangyang and await the general's instruction."

If the previous attempts were just tests, this time it's for real.

Wuling Commandery belonged to Jingzhou and was located between Jiangling and Changsha. Liu Daogui was his superior.

Liu Yu immediately killed Sima Xiu and Sima Zun, terrifying this member of the Sima family.

He fled back to Jiangzuo not because he truly missed his homeland, but because he had no other choice.

"Prefect, there's no need for that. As long as you are loyal to the court and wholeheartedly serve the people, there's nothing to worry about," Liu Daogui bluntly stated.

If they really wanted to rebel, they wouldn't hesitate because of a hostage.

However, after saying these words, Liu Daogui felt a sense of unease. As an outsider, it was absurd for him to advise the Sima family to be loyal to the court.

Upon hearing this, Sima Xiuzhi's face lit up with joy, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "General, you are magnanimous."

"That's all for today, Prefect, you should get some rest."

Liu Daogui had drunk enough. He had been busy with earthworks these days and couldn't let drinking interfere with his work.

However, early the next morning, Sima Xiuzhi came to say goodbye, saying he wanted to reach Wuling as soon as possible. Liu Daogui exchanged a few pleasantries and then ordered Liu Zhong's navy to escort them south.

After capturing Hongnong, Yao Xing, though he had gathered an army of 40,000 to 50,000 men at Mount Hua, did not dare to come out and seek revenge.

Instead, they sent another letter, saying they were willing to give all the counties in Guandong to Liu Daogui, only asking for the release of Yao Wensi and the other prisoners.

After the Battle of Chaibi, Yao Xing also wrote a letter to Tuoba Gui, requesting the release of captured generals such as Tang Xiaofang, Yao Liangguo, and Di Bozhi. Tuoba Gui actually released these people.

Liu Daogui replied with a letter, saying that Yao Wensi could be returned to him, but the other prisoners could be exchanged for either food or warhorses.

The letter was sent, but it seemed to have sunk without a trace.

Yin Zhongwen said, "Liu Bobo led his troops to live by the water and grass, and attacked everywhere. The Qin army was exhausted and the country was not as powerful as before. They could not afford to exchange prisoners for food and warhorses."

“Then don’t blame us.” Liu Daogui never thought of returning the prisoners.

After capturing 30,000 to 40,000 Qiang, Di, and Xiongnu people in the Battle of Hongnong, they certainly couldn't just be released.

Even the Xiongnu, after settling in Mianchi for several decades, learned to farm, while the Qiang and Di people had long been Sinicized, and their language and customs were the same as those of the Jin people.

With the addition of these people, the manpower in Nanyong Prefecture has become sufficient.

Following the old rules, slave households were set up, and people followed the banners. Sixteen garrisons were set up in Nanyang and Shunyang, with five households forming a squad, ten households forming a team, and fifty households forming a platoon.

The organization and officials were the same as in the army, and the system of collective responsibility was implemented. If one household deserted, the entire squad would be held responsible; if one squad deserted, the entire unit would be punished.

All the garrisoned slave households were registered under the Zhechong Prefecture and supervised by the prefectural soldiers.

The proceeds from the military farms were divided equally between officials and civilians, enough to allow them to maintain a basic livelihood and avoid starvation.

This system of military settlements was inherited from the Cao Wei dynasty.

It's like sucking the blood of these alien races to nourish Jingxiang.

The Nanyang Basin was a granary during the Han Dynasty, but it was reduced to ruins during the Five Barbarian Invasions. Liu Daogui did this partly to quickly accumulate resources for the Northern Expedition, and partly as an experiment.

In the northern lands, various tribes coexisted, and killing them all was neither realistic nor feasible.

The best way is to enslave them and use them to support China.

After years of struggle and hardship, Liu Daogui gradually came to understand a principle: if a group wants to rise to power, it must either exploit its own people or fight its way out and enslave other races...

Now that I hold two sharp weapons in my hands, the Western Prefecture and the Northern Prefecture, I naturally have to treat my own people better.

Of course, Liu Daogui did not exterminate them all. After all, these people were deeply Sinicized, and after fifteen years of slavery, they were converted into civilian households, giving them a glimmer of hope.

The key to governing a country lies in having a strong army and sufficient food. The Qin people conquered the world by prioritizing agriculture, and Emperor Wu of Han pacified the Western Regions by establishing military colonies. These are good examples from previous dynasties.

The Qin dynasty unified the world by conquering the six states through agriculture and warfare.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Zhao Chongguo suggested that military farms be established along the border to balance defense and cultivation. From Dunhuang in the west to Yanze, military farms were frequently set up, and Luntai and Quli each had hundreds of soldiers engaged in farming, gradually establishing a foothold in the Western Regions.

Cao Wei also relied on military colonies to gradually overwhelm Wu and Shu in terms of national strength.

The Northern Expedition was the result, while the military-agricultural colonies were the cause. Only when everyone was well-fed could they have the strength to launch the Northern Expedition.

Liu Daogui led his personal guards to inspect the area north of the Han River.

They had expected these Hu prisoners to resist, but they were surprisingly obedient, working diligently in the fields, and not a single one of them tried to escape.

Only after inquiring did they learn that these people did not fare well under the rule of Qin.

While Tuoba Gui of Wei was implementing land allocation based on population, and the Jin dynasty was promoting land reform, Yao Xing of Qin was not. After the Battle of Chaibi, the west was also unstable. Tuoba Rutan recruited Peng Xinian, the chieftain of the Lushui Hu, and then joined forces with Liu Bobo to repeatedly harass Qin.

The Qin state was exhausted from its efforts and wasted a lot of national resources. Under such circumstances, Yao Xing still built a Buddhist pagoda in Yonggui Lane in Chang'an and built the Prajna Terrace in the palace, where there were often more than a thousand monks meditating.

Years of conquest and rebellion squandered the national strength that Yao Xing had accumulated through diligent governance at the beginning of his reign.

The only solution was to increase land taxes and levies, imposing heavy taxes on passes, salt, bamboo, and timber, making life difficult for ordinary people in Qin.

The Battle of Chaibi was a decisive battle concerning the fate of the nation; once lost, this was the consequence.

These prisoners were still able to get a bowl of rice in Nanyang, as the tax system of eight parts for officials and two parts for commoners was common at that time.

In fact, land tax is not terrible, after all, it still provides food. What is terrible is the endless corvée labor, where people have to bring their own food and supplies to perform corvée labor.

Coupled with layers of exploitation by officials, many people were left destitute after a single day of forced labor.

Under Liu Daogui's rule, slave households had virtually no corvée labor, only military service. In other words, during every major battle, volunteer armies would be formed, and slave households who followed behind would be able to get a piece of meat.

If you achieve military merit, you can immediately change your status.

This is also what attracts them the most.

The Qiang, Di, and Xiongnu tribes who migrated to the Central Plains had a weaker sense of ethnic identity than the Jin people. They served the Cao family, the Sima family, and later Liu Yuan, Shi Le, Murong Huang, and Fu Jian.

Now that Liu Daogui has arrived, it's the same.

(End of this chapter)