Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 395 revised

The marriage to Zhu Lingshi went very smoothly.

Both the Zhu and Liu families originated from Pei County. Although the Zhu family was more successful in earlier years, Liu Daogui is now famous throughout the land and can be considered the de facto ruler of the Jin Dynasty.

Zhu would naturally not refuse.

The marriage alliance itself was a statement of attitude, signifying that the Zhu brothers were silently on his side.

Now, under the command of his elder brother Liu Yu, there are also the martial clans of Shen, Zang, Tan, and Meng, as well as powerful families such as Yu, Sun, and Kong in Jiangdong. In the past two years, on the one hand, they have suppressed the powerful families, and on the other hand, they have formed a marriage alliance with the Sima family, making those powerful families obedient and gaining the support of powerful families such as Wang, Xie, Chu, and Yin.

It can be said that a new interest group has now formed in Jiankang.

Forewarned is forearmed, without prejudging the waste.

Power is a beast, and those who wield power are even more like tigers.

Liu Daogui had no choice but to plan ahead.

Especially in this era, to avoid sibling rivalry, one must have the power to stop it.

The transfer of power is always fraught with danger.

Bloodshed can occur even between fathers and sons, let alone between brothers.

Liu Daogui trusted his elder brother Liu Yu, but not the people around him. Moreover, the promise made back then was only between the two brothers, and whether this new interest group would accept it was another matter.

No promise is convincing unless you have a knife in your hand.

After six months of "suppressing the bandits," the counties bordering Chengdu, such as Shu, Hanjia, Badong, Jianwei, and Zhuti, were basically wiped out. Those that were not wiped out hid in the deep mountains and dared not come out to act recklessly.

Liu Daogui looked towards the counties further south, such as Yuexi, Zangke, Jianning, Yongchang, and Yunnan, which he had not yet ventured into.

However, I simply don't have the energy right now.

Although Nanzhong and Shuzhong are adjacent, they are two separate regions. The southern part is extremely vast, with continuous mountains, and many places are sparsely populated.

"Why doesn't the General follow the example of Shu Han and establish the Yijiang Governor's Office?" Yuan Miao suggested.

"The Governor's Office of Yijiang?"

In the nineteenth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei pacified Shu and sent General Anyuan and Prefect of Nan Commandery, Deng Fang, to serve as Prefect of Zhuti and Governor of Yijiang, with his capital at Nanchang County.

Although the three kingdoms of Wei, Wu, and Shu were divided, they all expanded into the surrounding areas. Cao Wei expanded into the western regions of the Hehuang region, while Sun Wu expanded into Lingnan and Southeast Asia.

While Shu Han was launching its northern expeditions, it was also carefully managing the southern regions. The Yijiang Protectorate it established covered an extremely large area, including parts of central Guizhou, the ancient Dian Kingdom, and even further south and west.

Established in the 20th year of Jian'an (215 AD), it existed for more than 40 years until the fall of Shu Han in the 6th year of Jingyao (263 AD). The last governor of Yijiang, Huo Yi, only surrendered to the Jin Dynasty with the six commanderies of Nanzhong after learning that the Sima family treated Liu Shan well. He then sent troops to pacify the three commanderies of Jiaozhi, Rinan and Jiuzhen, and was enfeoffed as a marquis for his merits.

“Since there is an existing system, we can continue to use it!” Liu Daogui nodded in agreement.

The Yijiang Prefecture existed for over forty years without needing to re-survey its boundaries or re-establish its prefectures and counties.

Liu Bei and Liu Shan were both surnamed Liu, as was Liu Daogui. They shared the same ancestor eight hundred years ago, so it was only natural that they inherited the achievements of Shu Han.

Yuan Miao and Ma Dan led a group of civil officials to search the Chengdu government treasury.

Throughout history, there has been a tradition of preserving ancient texts. Even a single county would compile its own local chronicles. During the 43-year reign of the Shu Han dynasty, many records still exist. Although bamboo slips are cumbersome, they were able to preserve texts for a long time.

This may be the reason why Chinese civilization has continued to exist.

Persistence pays off. Ma Dan rummaged through a pile of bamboo slips and found various documents from the Yijiang Governor's Office, roughly reconstructing the counties and prefectures of southern China on a map.

The region is so vast that it is almost twice the size of the Chengdu Plain.

Many areas in the Western Regions and the northern deserts are barren and unsuitable for cultivation, making them unsuitable for the people of Jin to live in. However, the territories to the south are spring-like all year round, with fertile soil and abundant resources.

If managed properly, it will benefit the present and future generations.

Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them, and so do rulers who love their people.

Using the blood of barbarians to expand the territory of China is a highly profitable endeavor.

Joining the bandits in the mountains requires a pledge of loyalty; the barbarian tribes of Sichuan who wish to join the Chinese people must pay a certain price…

"Form a volunteer army, organize the tamed barbarians and Liao people, and transfer them to the jurisdiction of the Yijiang Governor's Office." Liu Daogui had little interest in women and wealth, but was tireless in his efforts to expand territory.

Growing up in Jingkou, where mountains, rivers, lakes, and fertile land were seized by powerful families, people who grew up in such a repressive environment naturally had a fervent desire for land.

"I think we should wait a few years. Sichuan has just been recovered, and the people's strength has not yet recovered. There is a shortage of food and supplies. Moreover, the barbarians are only superficially submissive. If we let them go south, I'm afraid they will revert to their old ways. We should set up schools, promote Confucianism, change customs and habits, and educate all the tribes. In the long run, even if the barbarians still have rebellious intentions, their descendants will surely be loyal to us."

Liu Yixing's greatest strength was his meticulousness. "My son is absolutely right," Liu Daogui wholeheartedly agreed.

The current priority is not managing the south, but restoring Sichuan.

Eat your food one bite at a time, and walk your path one step at a time.

Before you know it, the autumn harvest is here. Sichuan truly lives up to its reputation as the Land of Abundance. The fields cultivated by the soldiers around Chengdu alone yielded more than 700,000 shi of rice and millet.

The harvest from the fields cultivated by the Liao people was worse. Firstly, when they were captured, the spring planting season had passed, and the crops they replanted were short-term crops such as beans and soybeans. Secondly, the farming techniques of these people were not comparable to those of the Jin people. In addition, many of the Liao people were lazy by nature, and after sowing, they would leave the fields to grow weeds.

However, these are not major problems; the local guards will handle them.

After the autumn harvest, food was plentiful, and both the barbarians and the Liao people were able to eat their fill. Their desire to resist faded, and they gradually adapted to their new identities.

Liu Daogui issued a second decree to change customs and traditions.

It is forbidden to live in villages close to mountains and valleys, to live in nests or caves, and to relocate to settlements outside county towns. It is forbidden to kidnap brides, to wear hair in a bun and go barefoot, and to have a woman's teeth pulled out before marriage. All ethnic groups within the territory must change to Han surnames. Those who disobey the order will be demoted to lowly status.

The Liao people are barbaric in their customs. They are driven by lust and have no proper place to live. They do not understand the nature of father and son or the way of husband and wife. Their marriages are mostly illegitimate. They are violent in their villages, steal other people's wives and daughters to escape, move to other places, and live peacefully.

When a daughter is married off, her front teeth are removed, a custom known as "tooth extraction."

Liu Daogui was on high alert, and all the Tiger Guards and soldiers were sharpening their swords. Mao Xiuzhi and Wang Hong, who were stationed in Yong'an and Fuling, were also preparing for battle, just waiting for someone to step forward.

This step is crucial: starting with customs, truly taming the barbarians and Liao people, and letting them immerse themselves in Chinese civilization.

"Report! The Liao people of Shifang County, Guanghan Prefecture, led by Wumangu, have rebelled!"

"Report! The eighteen villages of the Liao people in Zizhong have rebelled!"

"Report! Yang Qiu, a Liao man from Jianwei, has gathered three thousand men and is attacking the counties of Nan'an and Bodao!"

Some of the chieftains of the Liao and barbarian tribes migrated away, but as long as they lived together, new chieftains would immediately emerge.

However, these people were scattered and had little connection with each other, so they couldn't cause any trouble.

There were a total of twenty-three rebellions, the largest of which was led by Yang Qiu of Jianwei. This man was a relative of Yang Mei, the Grand General of Qiaozong, and had considerable power.

These barbarians caused chaos, and the barbarians in the mountains also joined in the turmoil, many of them joining the rebellion.

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. If they refuse to take the path we offer them, then we will have no choice but to send them on their way. We must definitely subdue them!” Liu Daogui inspected the generals and stamped the military order with the seal of the Grand General.

"If we don't wipe out these thieves, we'll bring you our heads!"

The generals were all overjoyed.

For them, they were not afraid of bloody battles or fierce battles, but they were afraid of not having any battles to fight. From top to bottom, the army, including the General's Mansion, was also a military mansion. Everything was for the purpose of the war. The Tiger Guards were full-time professional soldiers, and the interests of the soldiers and generals were tied to the war.

In recent years, a steady stream of new and outstanding generals have emerged in the military, and the Tiger Guard Army is full of fierce generals.

The soldiers rested in Chengdu for half a year, and Liu Daogui trained his troops. Autumn and winter are also the hunting season.

A knife will rust and become dull if it is not used.

In Chengdu, cavalrymen galloped out, even the Tiger Guard infantry mounted their warhorses.

The local militia were not idle either; newly formed local militias from various counties in Yizhou were also engaged in the battle.

These people were all from Shu. The elite troops from each prefecture were selected and, after a little training, were put into actual combat to fight against the barbarians.

No sooner had the Tiger Guard Army left Chengdu than news of their victory arrived from Fuling.

Wang Hong immediately led 1,300 soldiers westward and quickly wiped out the eighteen bandit strongholds in Zizhong.

They killed more than 3,000 bandits and wiped out all the chieftains of the Liao people in Zizhong.

The remaining able-bodied Liao people were escorted to Chengdu and became undesirable households and settlers.

Wang Hong is Wang Zhen'e's younger brother. The Wang brothers are nine in total, all of whom are skilled in both literature and martial arts. Among them, the most outstanding, besides Wang Zhen'e, are the third brother Wang Hong and the sixth brother Wang Kang.

Since Wang Zhen'e was promoted to governor of Jingzhou, the Wang family's status in Jingxiang has also risen accordingly.

The Liao people hid deep in the mountains and forests, and Liu Daogui couldn't do anything to them for a while. But once they came out of the mountains, the situation was different.

On the plains, two or three hundred Tiger Guard infantry and cavalry dared to confront one or two thousand bandits head-on.

(End of this chapter)