Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 392 Law

Along the way, soldiers and farmers were everywhere, busy in the fields, seemingly unaffected by the war.

These farmers appeared to be from Shu (Sichuan), as it was spring plowing season and Liu Daogui did not conscript a large number of able-bodied men to Shu.

Meng Gan said, "The young master and General Zhu Lin restrained the soldiers and pacified the people of Shu along the way. The people's hearts gradually calmed down. They also ordered the officials of each county to encourage the people to cultivate the land, which led to this situation."

"good!"

Father and son are of one mind. When Liu Daogui ordered the soldiers to cultivate the land, he reassured the people and encouraged them to work in the fields. They worked together seamlessly.

Talent is developed through practice; those who are sincere and dedicated to their work are usually quite capable.

If Shu can recover quickly, it would be a good thing, at least Jingzhou and Xiangyang wouldn't have to pour money and grain into it.

By the time they arrived in Chengdu, Zhu Lingshi had already brought the chaos under control.

The three armies were all stationed outside the city, clearly separated.

Liu Daogui traveled directly by boat from Zhongshui to Chengdu.

The city was also peaceful, as the officials led by Ma Dan, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Shu, had long since appeased the people.

Although Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi were unruly, they dared not act recklessly in front of Liu Daogui, so they did not cause any major trouble this time.

Zhu Lingshi, Shen Linzi, and Mao Xiuzhi each wrote a document recounting the entire incident.

Zhang Hu'er, a subordinate of Shen Tianzi, was arrogant and domineering. He couldn't stand Zhu Lingshi breaking through the city first, so he came to rob the treasury. He was stopped by the patrolling soldiers under Wang Zhongde, and a fight broke out between the two sides.

Shen Tianzi and Wang Zhongde were unaware of this beforehand.

The three official documents were largely similar in their wording, suggesting that it was a sudden, bottom-up event. If Shen Tianzi had wanted to take action, it probably wouldn't have been so easy to quell, and Chengdu would have been in chaos long ago.

"The murderer shall die; Zhang Hu'er shall be beheaded and his head displayed to the public!"

After all, people died and more than a hundred were injured. Without strict military law, these arrogant and fierce soldiers could not be controlled.

Upon hearing the news, Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi rushed over to plead for leniency, saying, "Zhang Hu'er has followed the Prime Minister in his campaigns across the north and south, achieving remarkable military exploits and earning the Prime Minister's favor. We beg the General to show mercy, for this is due to our poor management of our subordinates. Please punish us, General."

The two of them were clever; they used the word "punishment" to downplay the seriousness of the matter.

"Do you remember what I said before we set out?" Liu Daogui asked coldly. Three people had died and more than a hundred were injured. This couldn't just end like this.

Shen Linzi said, "I remember... but there was a reason for it."

"Military law is military law. There's no such thing as 'reason' in this matter. If they aren't executed, how can those who died in the fight rest in peace? How can their comrades accept this? This matter is no longer up for discussion. Execute them!"

Liu Daogui was determined to kill.

The two exchanged a glance and could only bow and retreat.

Before long, Zhang Hu'er was escorted to the execution ground by two guards.

The streets were packed with onlookers, including civilians and soldiers, while officials from Qiao Shu who had surrendered also watched the execution.

"Why kill me? I risked my life for the Prime Minister!" Zhang Hu'er was strong and muscular, with a face full of scars; he looked like a brave warrior.

He only has himself to blame for running into a dangerous situation.

“You violated my laws, murdered your comrades, and nearly caused an internal conflict. Don’t you deserve to die?” Liu Daogui looked at him.

"He deserves to die, but please, General, do it yourself!" Zhang Hu'er, a typical tough nut to crack, actually dared to fight Liu Daogui.

"I'll grant your wish!" Liu Daogui drew his sword and walked towards the execution ground. He had seen too many such scenes. To this day, he had killed at least seven or eight hundred people, if not a thousand.

Suddenly, the long street fell silent; everyone stared wide-eyed.

"Come on!" Zhang Hu'er roared.

With a "whoosh," Liu Daogui's precious sword fell to the ground, his roar abruptly ceasing, and his head fell to the ground, blood spurting from his neck.

Liu Daogui picked up the severed head from the ground, held it up, and declared, "Those who disobey military law are all like this!"

In an instant, everyone's expression changed.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "May the Great General be victorious!"

"The general is mighty!"

Soon everyone joined in the shouting.

Attacking Sichuan is easy, but governing it is difficult. The situation in Sichuan is more dangerous than in the Central Plains and Hebei. The Liao people have multiplied and live along the mountains and valleys, holding their positions in the rocky ravines and living alongside the local people.

There were also the Di and Qiang people who followed Li Xiong and Li Te south. The Shu region was no longer the Shu region of Zhuge Liang's time.

The majority of people from Shanxi are from the Chengdu area.

Therefore, Liu Daogui had no choice but to seek their support, otherwise Shu would truly fall into the hands of the barbarians.

"The arrival of the General in Shu is truly a blessing for the people of Shu." Ma Dan, accompanied by a group of Shu officials, presented the population register.

Despite its vast size, Sichuan has a registered population of only 410,000.

Although many households were hidden due to the war, 400,000 is far too few, not even as many as Jingzhou back then.

The Bashu region stretches from Baidi in the east to Jiange in the north and Yijiang in the south, with a territory comparable to that of Jiangzuo, yet its population is only one-seventh of that of Jiangzuo.

Of course, many Liao people and barbarian tribes are not included in this count.

Sichuan is a mountainous region, making it difficult to obtain detailed household registration information.

Liu Daogui suddenly had a thought. When he inspected Xuchang before, he had discussed strategies for dealing with the Hu people with Xin Gongjing and Feng Kai. It seemed that this could be tried in Shu.

The Liao people are almost like savages. Back then, the Sun family, father and son, ruled Jiangzuo by capturing the Baiyue people as military slaves and farm slaves. More than a hundred years later, the Baiyue people have disappeared.

Meanwhile, the southern regions of central Fujian, Lingnan, and western Hunan have all experienced a certain degree of development.

Liu Daogui's governance strategy may seem cruel, but it was actually a summary of the experiences of previous generations.

Moreover, people in this era were not averse to slavery. As long as they could get a meal, many Jin people who had lost their land sold themselves into the homes of powerful families as slaves.

Even during the prosperous Han Dynasty, there were still a large number of slave households. In the Juyan Han Bamboo Slips, slaves were treated as property, equivalent to livestock and land, and their prices were even listed...

If we were to give them all sorts of benefits right from the start, and treat them as equals to ordinary households and good families, that would be the greatest injustice.

Making these barbarian tribes slaves was also a process of Sinicization.

It's better than the direct massacre in the north.

Any governance strategy must be based on the historical context and current environment. Civilization is also a gradual process. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, Chinese civilization still had various cruel sacrifices and human sacrifices...

"These are all Jin people's household registrations, but the Liao people's household registrations also need to be checked!"

"This..." Ma Dan looked troubled.

Liu Daogui knew what was troubling him. "Don't worry, I will leave behind generals and elite troops to assist you. From today onwards, you will be the Prefect of Yizhou, and you will only be responsible to me, the Grand General!"

Liu Yizhen was appointed Governor of Yizhou, rather than stationed in Yizhou.

Liu Yu also asked him to teach him, so he transferred him to Jiangling or Xiangyang, and the court had nothing to say about it.

The Prefectural Governor was second only to the Governor, wielding immense power. Ma Dan also had a group of civil officials under his command, and it was precisely the time when they could be put to good use.

While the imperial court can appoint governors and prefects, those who are in a position of power have an advantage. As long as they hold military power in Sichuan, no one can take it away from them.

Unless the imperial court is willing to leave the Zhu brothers and Shen brothers, these fierce generals, in Sichuan.

However, this left Jiankang with a depleted military force, making it even more difficult to suppress all sorts of monsters and demons.

"Thank you, General. I will repay your kindness with my life! To tell you the truth, I am from the Ma family of Xiangyang. My ancestor was Ma Liang, a famous minister of Shu Han. He followed Emperor Zhaolie to Shu and settled in Chengdu."

Ma Dan reacted very quickly and made contact in no time.

Liu Daogui laughed heartily, "In that case, you are also a former subordinate of my Western Prefecture. From now on, I will back you up and you can do things boldly and decisively."

"Your subordinate would dare not fail to exert your utmost effort!"

This man is quite capable. When the army attacked, he sealed the treasury, opened the city gates, and reassured the people. His abilities and insight are both superb.

To rise to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in Qiao Shu must mean one has considerable talent.

As for the others, let them do the work first and then select them. Checking the Yin households and Liao people is a thankless task, and if problems arise, their heads can be used as a sacrifice.

Liu Daogui had just beheaded Zhang Hu'er, so these people naturally had to think twice about their own lives.

"Report! General Duan has killed three hundred men, including Qiao Zong and Qiao Daofu!" At this moment, a scout rushed over to report.

"No Huan Qian?" Liu Daogui asked in surprise.

Huan Qian is like an eel, always managing to escape danger at the most perilous moments.

Huan Qian fled to Liangzhou and sought refuge in Qiuchi.

Qiao Zong rebelled, and Qiu Chi took the opportunity to advance westward and annex Hanzhong. However, Qiu Chi was predominantly inhabited by Di people. After the fall of Di Qin, Qiu Chi absorbed a large amount of Di Qin power and became irreconcilable enemies with Yao Qin.

In the third year of the Long'an era (399), he sent envoys to Jin to acknowledge his vassal status and offer tribute. He was then granted the titles of Assistant General, Commandant of the Qiang, and Duke of Qiuchi.

When Huan Xuan became emperor, he bestowed upon Yang Sheng the titles of General Who Pacifies the North, Governor of Liangzhou, and Commandant of the Western Barbarians.

Chouchi had always been a pawn for the Jin dynasty to contain Guanzhong, having repeatedly repelled the attacks of Yao Qin and resisted the invasions of various Xianbei tribes in Longyou.

“He sent an envoy to Hanzhong and ordered Yang Sheng to deliver the goods to Huan Qian and Huan Zhen, and return them to Hanzhong.”

Since ancient times, people have coveted Shu after conquering Longzhong. Now that Shu has been taken over, Liu Daogui naturally has his eyes on Hanzhong as well.

Hanzhong is located between Xiangyang and Chengdu. To recapture this territory, any general could be sent to lead troops.

It would be best if we could avoid falling out. Among the various ethnic groups in the north, the Di people are most closely related to the Jin people. In fact, they are Sinicized Qiang people, and their clothing, speech, and lifestyle are almost identical.

The Di-Qin state established by Fu Jian was relatively friendly to the people of Jin. During his reign, he promoted Confucianism and made great use of scholars from Shandong, such as Wang Meng.

In the short term, Liu Daogui is unable to take care of both Qin, Liang, and Hehuang, so Qiuchi is the best piece to use.

Of course, it also depends on whether Yang Sheng is perceptive or not.

"I accept the order!" Ma Dan immediately arranged for the selection of the messenger.

Many cities in Sichuan have not yet been captured, and mountain bandits and river pirates are taking advantage of the chaos to commit murder and arson everywhere.

Liu Daogui dispatched his generals: Zhu Lingshi and Zhu Chaoshi led their troops to the northwest, Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi led their troops to the south, and Wang Zhongde and Mao Xiuzhi led their troops to the southeast, completely pacifying Sichuan.

Before the expedition, a military order was issued that each army could take whatever it could get, with the only restriction being that they must not harm the people of Jin.

After capturing Chengdu, these people, unable to burn, kill, or plunder, were filled with pent-up anger. Now that it was unleashed, they turned into tigers and wolves. When they encountered bandit camps, they didn't care whether the men surrendered or not. Men taller than a cartwheel were all killed, while women and children were sent back to Chengdu.

Without restrictions, these elite troops from the Northern and Western Prefectures became even more ferocious.

A few dozen scouts can defeat thousands of bandits, and a thousand or so men can capture a county town.

The banditry in various counties of Sichuan was quickly quelled, and the usually unruly Liao and Man people also hid in the deep mountains.

Those who were still observing the city were terrified; as soon as they saw the "Liu" banner, they opened the gates and surrendered...

(End of this chapter)