Great Qin Emperor

Chapter 309 Returning the World to One and Pacifying Baiyue ([-])

Ever since Qin Shihuang dug the canal and connected the Xiangjiang River with the Lishui River, the Guangxi-Xiang Corridor has become an important strategic channel for the Central Plains to enter Lingnan. In order to manage Lingnan, the Lingqu has been continuously repaired in the past dynasties, and the Lingqu is still playing an important role today. Although not as huge as ancient times.

Another consequence of the opening of Lingqu is the rise of Guilin.Since Qin Shihuang pacified Baiyue, due to the large number of aborigines in the Lingnan area, their recognition of the Central Plains culture was far less high than that of later generations. In addition, the east-west Wuling separated Lingnan from the Central Plains. Although there are strategic passages such as Wuling Passage and Lingqu , and their contacts are not many.

It is precisely because of the steepness of Wuling that as long as the passage of Wuling is blocked and the Lingqu canal is controlled, it will be much more difficult for the Central Plains to enter Lingnan. Therefore, at the end of Qin Dynasty, Zhao Tuo was able to control hundreds of thousands of Qin troops stationed in Lingnan, and did not return to the Central Plains. Participating in the war to quell the peasant uprising was also the reason why the Qin Dynasty was able to disintegrate quickly.

We have always praised Xiang Yu for defeating Zhang Han with fewer strikes and more defeats in the Battle of Julu, which fundamentally reversed the situation of the battle.In fact, after careful study of this period of history, it can be concluded that Xiang Yu's achievements in the Battle of Julu are nothing to praise.Because what he was facing was not the real main force of the Qin army, but an army temporarily formed from slaves and death row prisoners. It just won a few victories under the leadership of Zhang Han.

At that time, part of the real main force of the Qin army was defending the Huns in the north. After the peasant uprising, this army moved slowly and did not arrive at the battlefield.

The other main force was stationed in Lingnan. After Zhao Tuo heard the news of the civil strife in the Central Plains, he decided to cede the land and become king, and ordered to block the Wuling Passage. They destroyed the Great Qin Empire they created with their own hands, which makes future generations sigh.

Guilin was originally a small place in the South of the Five Ridges, and did not play an important role. It is precisely because of the opening of the Lingqu Canal that the strategic position of Guilin has been significantly improved, because after entering Lingnan through the Xianggui Corridor, the best place to go ashore is Guilin, so Guilin It became a strategic base for the Central Plains to enter Lingnan, and later dynasties continued to invest in manpower and material resources, and Guilin was able to take shape day by day.

After Qin Shihuang pacified Baiyue, the establishment of Guilin County here was based on strategic considerations, and it was also a proof that Guilin's strategic position was valued.

Zhou Chong is very clear about the importance of Guilin. Zhang Liang has traveled to Lingnan and is very familiar with the situation in Lingnan. Coupled with the excellent strategic vision of King Qin who has insight into the details, after deliberation, it was decided that the South Expedition will be carried out by the West Route Army via Lingqu Enter Lingnan, go down the Lijiang River, and establish a strategic base in Guilin, where the supplies, equipment, and grain and grass transported from the Central Plains are stored ashore.

In order to achieve this strategic goal, Tu Sui, commander of the West Route Army, is implementing this plan.

At this time, Guilin was just an inconspicuous small town with a limited population. Today is destined to be a big day for Guilin's history to change.Since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, people from the Central Plains entered Lingnan and brought the culture of the Central Plains into Lingnan. Although the agricultural standard in Lingnan is not as high as that in the Central Plains, it has developed to a certain extent. The aborigines are busy in the fields.

"Look, there are boats, a lot of boats!" Someone with sharp eyes saw the warships sailing in the river.

The people working in the fields looked towards the river, right? Countless warships sailed on the river, covering up the sunlight.There are so many ships, or such a huge battleship, it is unimaginable for the natives, their eyes widened in surprise, and they even forgot to speak.

Many of these people were descendants of the Central Plains people, and their knowledge was much wider than that of the real natives. They shouted: "It is a ship from the Central Plains, it is a warship from the Central Plains!" A question suddenly came to mind: "Why did the warships from the Central Plains come here?"

Tu Sui stood at the bow of the ship and gave an order: "Send me the order: dock." The order was passed on, and the warship rowed towards the shore and docked at the shore. The natives were curious and all ran over to watch.

"Requisition land immediately, build houses, build warehouses, and unload all the luggage." Tu Sui ordered, got off the boat, and said to the natives who were watching: "Folks: We are the army of the Great Qin, and we are here to calm down your lives. Man, you guys who work for bandits, from now on, you will have a good life."

The real natives naturally couldn't understand what he said, but many of them were descendants of Central Plains people, so they hurriedly translated Tu Sui's words for them to know.At that time, barbarians were rampant in Lingnan, killing people and stealing goods at every turn, posing a great threat to the lives of local people. In addition, Lingnan was still dominated by tribes, and there were many hatred and killings between tribes, which made the lives of local people very problematic. Sui's words reached their hearts, and they were pleasantly surprised: "That's great, that's great!"

Tu Sui continued: "We will expropriate your land. Don't worry, we will compensate you, give you money, give you food, and give you dried meat. We are going to repair the pier here, and you can work for us , we will pay your wages." This is indeed a good thing, and the natives responded, saying: "No problem."

Looking at the soldiers who were busy unloading, the natives were happy and said, "You pay us, and we will help you with the work now."

"I am very grateful for your kindness." Tu Sui finally said: "Daqin came here to let you have food and clothes to live a good life. If you are willing to obey Daqin, Daqin welcomes you. If so If you don’t want to, Daqin won’t let rebellious people live in this world! Are you willing to be obedient citizens of Daqin?”

The common people don't recognize the big truth, but only one truth: whoever gives him food and clothing, he will support him.The aborigines in Lingnan were also like this. After hearing what Tu Sui said, they still didn't want to say: "Yes."

"That's good!" Tu Sui was very satisfied with the cooperation of the natives, and said: "Don't be busy working, first report the savages here, the villains who harmed the people, so that we can send troops to encircle and suppress them."

If the barbarians are not eliminated, they not only threaten the lives of the local people, but also threaten the rear of the Qin army, so they must be eliminated.Although this is a matter of mutual benefit, it was supported by the natives and asked the Qin army to inform them.

"Ren Xiao." Tu Sui shouted.

Ren Xiao trotted over and said, "See General. What orders does General have?"

"I'll go south right away, and I'll leave this place to you." Tu Sui told the mission, "We must appease the people and wipe out the bandits."

Ren Xiao took the lead and said: "General, please rest assured that there will be no problems with Bao. It's just that the general is about to leave after we arrive. Isn't this a bit too hasty?"

Historically, Tu Sui commanded 50 Qin troops to march south to Lingnan. The morale of the Qin army was low due to lack of logistical supplies. He himself was killed in a surprise attack initiated by the natives. When history repeated itself, Tu Sui said confidently: "You Don't worry, nothing will happen. Our logistics is sufficient, and we should take this opportunity to move south quickly!"

(End of this chapter)