My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 365 Distributing Responsibilities Among the Counties
Therefore, the fighting strength of the retainers of the local powerful families in Kuaiji varied greatly, depending entirely on the strength and tactics of their masters.

Nowadays, the families in Shanyin City have basically no outstanding figures, so naturally they can't have any brave and loyal retainers.

The next morning, Lu Xun, Gu Yong, and others presented the tallied battle results to Liu Feng.

Last night, Sun Ce left the prefectural governor's office and offered the place to Liu Feng for temporary residence. He himself, along with his entourage and Sun Quan, stayed in a civilian house next to the prefectural governor's office so that Liu Feng could summon them at any time.

The biggest achievement of capturing Shanyin City this time was that the local gentry and powerful families of Huiji were almost wiped out. Only a few small and medium-sized families remained, and they dared not have any intention of resisting Liu Feng again.

If Liu Feng were to act according to his own conscience, he would naturally kill these people without mercy. But while killing them would certainly be a satisfying act, it would inevitably cause panic, resentment, and resistance among the local gentry and powerful clans.

If these people don't openly rebel, but instead engage in nonviolent non-cooperation with you, then things could get really troublesome.

Therefore, Liu Feng understood very early on that these people should not be killed.

Although he couldn't kill them, Liu Feng still wanted them dead, so he came up with a good idea.

That is to cause these people to suffer social death.

Liu Feng was already confident that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, these people would suffer a fate worse than death. The price, however, would be enough to instill fear in the powerful clans and gentry of various regions, making them submit to Liu Feng's methods and no longer dare to feign compliance.

This method sounds simple, but it's difficult to implement.

That is to send these powerful and aristocratic families to Luoyang as rebels, hand them over to the emperor for punishment, and confiscate all their property.

Regardless of whether the emperor spares their lives, Liu Feng will not allow these people to return to Kuaiji.

In this way, they were essentially "dead" to the people of Kuaiji, and the "legacy" they left behind naturally all belonged to Liu Feng.

The local gentry and powerful families in other places could not find fault with this. It was an undeniable fact that these local gentry and powerful families in Kuaiji had rebelled. Not only did they rebel themselves, but they also dared to contact the Yue tribes in the mountains and collude with the barbarian bandits, which was a crime on top of a crime.

Instead of executing these rebels on the spot, Liu Feng sent them to Luoyang to be dealt with by the emperor.

In the eyes of most powerful clans and gentry, this was definitely an act of leniency beyond the law.

Liu Feng's second biggest gain was naturally the 60,000 laborers.

Of these 50,000 people, the local gentry and powerful families of Kuaiji, not to mention their fighting ability, were all young and strong men between the ages of eighteen and thirty.

The situation is quite different in the Shanyue region. Although the Shanyue people are numerous, the proportion of young and middle-aged people is much lower.

These mountain tribe leaders were lured down the mountain by the local gentry and powerful families of Kuaiji with promises of profit and guaranteed supplies, so they brought their entire families to help in the battle.

If it weren't for the fact that it was simply unacceptable, these Yue chieftains would have loved to bring along all the women and children from their tribes.

It is easy to imagine how low the quality of these Yue barbarian soldiers was. Nearly half of them were old, weak, or children. As long as they were male, they were brought down the mountain to make up the numbers.

Those who are actually between eighteen and thirty years old number at most 16,000, which is just over half.

However, Liu Feng didn't mind. Anyway, construction and mining required a lot of labor, so it didn't matter if he was older. After all, he didn't need to be treated or given benefits like the Han Chinese free people.

Liu Feng's attitude towards the Shanyue tribe was very clear: extermination!

For the time being, there is very little room for appeasement.

The Han Dynasty's high command had discussed strategies for dealing with the surrounding barbarian tribes, generally prioritizing war and supplementing it with appeasement. But ultimately, war was the only option.

The barbarians from all directions, no matter which one, are all afraid of power but not of virtue. If you don't gain the upper hand on the battlefield and don't hurt them, and you only try to appease them, they will only treat you like a fat pig.

Liu Feng will not only not pardon these 30,000 mountain tribes, but after stabilizing Kuaiji, he will continue to exterminate them on a large scale, linking up the entire Yangzhou region, from the Dabie Mountains on the left side of the two counties north of the Yangtze River to many mountains in the east of the Yangtze River, covering the three counties of Danyang, Kuaiji and Yuzhang.

This was not because Liu Feng was bloodthirsty, but because the mountain tribes and southern barbarians in the late Eastern Han Dynasty were too powerful, and their continuous rebellions were impossible to appease.

Since we can't appease them, it means that war is inevitable sooner or later. In that case, it's better to fight sooner rather than later, otherwise Yangzhou will always be in an unstable state and will not be able to become a reliable rear area.

Moreover, there may be benefits to fighting the Yue tribes. At the very least, it can strengthen and deepen our control over Yangzhou. Not to mention, prisoners are a valuable resource in themselves.

In addition to the two benefits mentioned above, Shanyin City also has a large amount of grain stored up, which is enough to temporarily relieve the people of Kuaiji.

But the numbers still don't match.

According to Wu Fan's intelligence, these people had even plundered the people's food supplies.

Although it is already May and the summer harvest has begun in various parts of the south, people's food supplies are really running low.

Even so, most of Huibei is still a huge area. As the saying goes, little by little, much will accumulate. As a result, the grain supply in Shanyin City will definitely not be enough.

After thinking for a while with his eyes closed, Liu opened them and said to Xu Chu, "Zhongkang, go and invite the Grand Historian, Gao Shun, Gu Yong, Lu Xun, Zhu Huan, Zhang Yun, and Zhu Zhi to come see me..."

"Here!"

Xu Chu responded and immediately prepared to go out and relay the order.

"and many more!"

Liu Feng suddenly called out again.

Xu Chu stopped and turned to wait for Liu Feng, showing no sign of impatience.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Feng made up his mind: "Summon Sun Ce and Sun Quan as well. Also, send an order to Pan Zhang to prepare to take over the defense of Shanyin."

"Here!"

Xu Chu waited a moment, and seeing that Liu Feng had nothing more to say, he turned and left to relay the order.

Soon, the order was issued, and those who received it rushed to the prefectural governor's office.

After everyone entered the hall, they all respectfully bowed to Liu Feng before taking their seats.

Liu Feng's prestige has now completely outweighed the disadvantages of his age. Looking across the world today, there are truly not many people who still dare to treat Liu Feng like a child.

After everyone had arrived, Xu Chu walked to Liu Feng's side and sat down, his eyes constantly scanning the generals, putting considerable pressure on them.

"I have gathered you all here today because I have an important task to entrust to you." Seeing that everyone was present, Liu Feng went straight to the point: "You may not know this, but although we have achieved great success, the bandits in Kuaiji have harbored treacherous intentions and acted perversely, even robbing the people of Kuaiji of their food supplies."

Liu Feng's words caused a minor commotion among the generals present.

The generals present all possessed a certain level of political ability. Those with weaker political skills, such as Pan Zhang, were not present, even though he was Liu Feng's trusted and beloved general.

The generals quickly realized the consequences of this situation.

The summer harvest is about to begin, but the people have run out of food. The harvest season is the most arduous time of the year. Not only is the farm work heavy, but there is also a rush to finish. If there is heavy rain, the difficulty and burden of the harvest will increase.

At this time, let alone lack of food, even just being hungry would make people unable to endure the heavy farm work.

If the summer harvest fails due to human factors, the autumn harvest will certainly be affected as well.

If this year's harvest is poor and the people have no surplus grain, even a fool could understand what the outcome would be.

After the generals had calmed down, they all turned their attention to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng is known for his wisdom and resourcefulness, and the fact that he has gathered them together at this time likely means that he already has a solution to the problem.

Sure enough, Liu Feng followed up by saying, "All the generals are talented in both literature and martial arts, and our army is not short of food. Within ten days, hundreds of thousands of shi of grain will arrive in Shanyin."

Upon hearing that there was still so much grain, the generals all breathed a sigh of relief.

The biggest fear at this time is food shortage; as long as there is food, everything else will be easier.

However, a few observant individuals, such as Gao Shun, Gu Yong, and Zhu Zhi, noticed that Liu Feng's expression remained gloomy, unlike the other generals who were optimistic.

As they had anticipated, Liu Feng continued, "The counties north of Kuaiji are now extremely vulnerable, lacking both life-saving grain and capable administrators. Furthermore, the property, land, taxes, workshops, and shops of the bandits in Kuaiji need to be taken over and cleared out in a timely manner."

Liu Feng's gaze swept over the generals in the hall, and he immediately said, "I intend to send the generals to various counties to provide relief to the people, distribute grain loans, ensure the summer harvest, take over and inventory the property of the bandits, recruit manpower, and reshape the county system."

After hearing Liu Feng's request, all the generals in the hall rose from their seats and knelt down, saying, "We are willing to obey the general's command!"

"good!"

Liu Feng nodded, then looked at Lu Xun.

Lu Xun quickly got up and stepped forward, took the silk scroll, and issued the order on behalf of Liu Feng.

"Taishi Ci is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Yin County, to handle all affairs of Yin County; Gao Shun is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Shan County; Zhang Yun is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Yuyao County; Lu Xun is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Gouzhang County; Sun Ce is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Mao County; Zhu Huan is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Zhuji County; Zhu Zhi is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Taimo County; Xu Sheng is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Wushang County; Jia Kui is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Shangyu County; Gu Yong is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Shanyin County; and Sun Quan is temporarily appointed as the magistrate of Yuji County. The above generals shall handle all affairs of their respective counties, with the three major tasks mentioned above being of paramount importance."

Liu Feng appointed eleven acting county magistrates and county heads in one go. The remaining three counties happened to be on the route Zhao Yun had to take when he went south, so they were naturally handed over to Zhao Yun to take charge of.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Xun continued to read: "Taishi Ci is appointed to oversee all affairs of the three counties of Gouzhang, Maoxian, and Yinxian; Jia Kui is appointed to oversee all affairs of the three counties of Shangyu, Shanxian, and Gouzhang; Xu Sheng is appointed to oversee all affairs of the three counties of Taimo, Wushang, and Zhuji; and Gu Yong is appointed to oversee all affairs of Shanyin and Yuji."

After Lu Xun finished reading, Liu Feng waved his hand, and Lu Xun quickly withdrew.

Liu Feng's stern gaze swept over the generals in the hall, putting them under great pressure.

Then Liu Feng spoke up: "All generals shall perform their duties and pacify their respective regions. Any mistakes shall be severely punished!"

The generals in the hall hurriedly bowed and replied, "We respectfully obey the orders of the General Who Conquers the South!"

"Then I will not keep you all for dinner. You may go and prepare your troops and set off as soon as possible."

Liu Feng immediately sent the men away, but did not forget to add, "Gentlemen, do not worry about food. You will take a batch with you in your army first, and the rest will be sent to the counties later."

Liu Feng was not exaggerating. The reason why there are so many counties in northern Kuaiji is because one of the few plains in Kuaiji Commandery is located here. Whether it is the Hangzhou Bay Plain or the Ningbo Plain, they are the few large plains in Kuaiji Commandery.

The Hangzhou Bay Plain was divided into six counties: Yuhang, Qiantang, Fuchun, Yuji, Zhuji, and Wushang. More than half of these counties, including Yuji, Zhuji, and Wushang, were under the jurisdiction of Kuaiji.

Although the Ningbo Plain is relatively small, it still includes four counties: Yin County, Mao County, Gouzhang County, and Yuyao County.

These counties are not far apart, and even more conveniently, there are many waterways connecting them. For example, Jingruo Lake and Cao'e River directly connect five counties: Shanyin, Yuji, Shangyu, Shanxian, and Yuyao.

In Yuji County, it can flow into the Qiantang River and then into the Puyang River, connecting with the three counties of Zhuji, Wushang, and Taimo.

The area between Shanyin County and the Ningbo Plain is also crisscrossed by rivers. Although it lacks large rivers, it has the advantage of sea transport.

Once you arrive in Zhenhai, you can immediately take the Yong River into the Ningbo Plain, connecting the four major counties on the Ningbo Plain.

At the same time, Shanyin can also take small and medium-sized rivers, passing through Yuyao and directly reaching Maoxian, which is very convenient and fast, with extremely low logistics costs.

Although the Southern Expeditionary Army's navy had already been dispatched to fight elsewhere, a new navy had been formed. In addition, with the capture of more than a hundred ships of various sizes from the Lin and Jiao families, it was almost effortless to carry out the grain transportation of the entire northern Kuaiji region. What was even more remarkable was that with these ships of various sizes, the grain could be delivered to various places in a limited amount of time by water transport.

This is the source of Liu Feng's confidence in promising his generals to supply them with food in a timely manner.

Not long after the generals left, Xu Chu stepped forward again and whispered, "General, Colonels Pan Zhang, Fan Neng, and Yu Mi have arrived."

Liu Feng nodded and ordered, "Invite them into the hall."

Soon, Pan Zhang, Fan Neng, and Yu Mi walked up to the hall and bowed deeply to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng first looked at Pan Zhang. He did not neglect Pan Zhang's feelings just because Pan Zhang was his old friend. Instead, he said to Pan Zhang, "Wen Gui, your troops will take over the defense of Shanyin today. My safety is entirely in your hands."

Pan Zhang had previously been quite unhappy because Xu Sheng and others had been sent to serve as the rulers of the hundred-mile region.

If it were just people like Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng, that would be one thing, but what kind of people are Zhang Yun, Zhu Zhi, and Zhu Huan? Do they even deserve this favor?

Pan Zhang certainly wouldn't and dared not blame Liu Feng, but he harbored deep resentment towards the surrendered generals of Jiangdong, thinking he would teach them a lesson sooner or later.

When he first entered the court, Pan Zhang felt extremely wronged and was thinking about how to complain to Liu Feng.

But as soon as Liu Feng said this, Pan Zhang immediately went from angry to happy, realizing that he had misunderstood the young master.

Pan Zhang loudly agreed, patting his chest and saying, "Young Master, rest assured, if anyone can harm you, I will die first!"

(End of this chapter)