My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 416 The Baiyue Strategy
Professional matters should be left to professionals, especially for a seasoned "nemesis of the Baiyue" like He Qi.

After He Qi finished his meal, Liu Feng first gave instructions to prepare a welcome dinner for He Qi that evening, and then led him and Lu Xun back to the study.

Subsequently, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, who had just returned, were summoned to the inner study.

On the inner walls of the study, there are several huge maps, two of which are maps of the prefectures and kingdoms of Yuzhang and Kuaiji.

Liu Feng led He Qi to the map of Kuaiji, followed by Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, and Pang Tong, while Xu Chu stood on the outermost side with Lü Meng and Ling Tong.

"Gong Miao, can you take this place for me?"

Liu Feng spread his right hand into a palm and slammed it heavily onto the upper left of Dongye.

This is a territory larger than the entire Wu Commandery, but this territory only nominally belongs to Dongye County. In reality, it is the territory of the Baiyue people, and the Baiyue organization here appears to be more sophisticated.

The reason is simple: because this area had long been outside the jurisdiction of the government, the Han and Baiyue people who spread here naturally merged and formed Baiyue chieftains, similar to the powerful Han clans.

These Baiyue chieftains not only had Baiyue blood, but were also descendants of the Han people, making them of mixed Han and Yue descent.

Compared to ordinary Baiyue chieftains, they were more accepting of Han culture, their degree of Sinicization was clearly higher, and they had a large number of Han people under their command, mastering Han farming methods and possessing abundant production resources. Therefore, when Sun Ce died and Sun Quan succeeded to the throne, the chieftains and powerful families here immediately rebelled, raising 100,000 people in one fell swoop.

In the land of Dongye, for four hundred years after the First Emperor conquered the Baiyue in the south, there was only Dongye County. The other territories were Han territory, but in reality, it was the resurgence of the Baiyue.

In the original timeline, it was Sun Ce who instructed He Qi to establish Dongye County and the newly established Jian'an, Nanping, and Hanxing counties. However, Liu Feng, who possessed the ability to see through the heavens, knew very well that after Sun Ce's death, it would be a time of revelry for these mixed-race powerful figures.

While he certainly wouldn't be as frivolous and adventurous as Sun Ce, nor would he die two years later like Sun Ce, these mixed-race powerful figures were incredibly wild and hadn't been severely beaten by Liu Feng; they would undoubtedly be a menace in the future.

Since that's the case, why not let He Qi teach these people a lesson and put the establishment of the Southern Kuaiji Prefecture on the agenda?

As for whether He Qi can accomplish it?
Liu Feng had almost no doubt that He Qi, with his own thousand-plus followers and five thousand county soldiers given by Sun Quan, had eradicated this group of people completely.

He would only provide He Qi with more resources and support, and he believed that He Qi would definitely give him a perfect score.

Sure enough, upon hearing Liu Feng's words, He Qi's eyes seemed to burn with fire, and he asked in a hoarse voice, as if trying to confirm something: "Does my lord want to...?"

Liu Feng smiled calmly and drew a circle with his palm over the entire Dongye region, which covered almost a third of Kuaiji County.

"Gongmiao, I intend to separate Kuaiji and establish a new prefecture here, named Nanping Prefecture. The seat of government will be temporarily located in Dongye, and will be moved to Nanping County after it is completed."

Liu Feng pointed to the location of Nanping on the map, which is roughly where Nanping City in Fujian Province will be located in the future.

Liu Feng had considered Dongye County, after all, it had been the only county in southern Kuaiji for many years, with a large population, developed economy, prosperous maritime trade, and many merchant ships coming and going, all of which were advantages of Dongye County.

However, Liu Feng ultimately rejected Dongye, deciding to make it the temporary seat of the prefecture.

There are three main reasons. First, Fujian is prone to typhoons, and Dongye poses a great threat from typhoons. If it is destroyed as the seat of the prefecture, the entire southern part of Kuaiji will be in chaos.

Secondly, Dongye is too remote. It is a port city located by the sea and cannot reach the Baiyue people in the mountains. Nanping, on the other hand, can effectively reach the surrounding mountainous areas, continuously Sinicize the Baiyue people, and expand its influence and productivity.

Third, Nanping is in a very good location, at the confluence of three rivers flowing into the sea.

To the southwest of Nanping, the Jiulong River flows through Yong'an County and then turns northwest to Nanping County.

To the northwest of Nanping, the Futun River turns southeast from Guangze County, passes through Shunchang County, and merges with the Jiulong River in Nanping County.

To the northeast of Nanping, the Jianxi River, a confluence of numerous streams and rivers, flows from north to south through Jianyang County and Jian'an County to the outskirts of Nanping, where it merges with the Futun River and the Jiulong River, thus forming the Minjiang River. The Minjiang River then flows majestically southeast, emptying into the sea outside Dongye City.

After the city of Nanping was built, it was possible to connect six counties and towns, namely Yong'an County, Guangze County, Shunchang County, Jianyang County, Jian'an County, and Dongye County, by land and water.

In addition, Pucheng County can also be connected to the Nanpu River and Jianxi River via the confluence of the two rivers, while Jianning County can be connected to the Jinxi River and Futun River via the confluence of the two rivers via the Jiangle County.

Therefore, Nanping is well-connected by land and water to the surrounding nine counties, making it a true transportation hub.

This is why Liu Feng decided to settle on Nanping.

Unlike the Sun family in the original timeline, Liu Feng had more resources, more abundant supplies, and a stronger army, providing greater support to He Qi, and therefore expected a richer return.

Liu Feng divided Jian'an Prefecture into a large number of counties in one go. In addition to Jian'an, Pucheng and Nanping counties, he also established Yong'an County, Guangze County (Shaowu County), Jiangle County, Shunchang County, Jianyang County, Jianning County, Fu'an County, Dong'an County and Zhangping County, for a total of twelve counties.

Pucheng County is Hanxing County, Guangze County is Shaowu County, Dong'an County, and Zhangping County is Zhangzhou.

Liu Feng did not adopt a name that would be adopted by later generations. Instead, he followed the old name and used it as it is today.

Twelve commanderies and kingdoms, more than a third of the territory of Kuaiji—this was a truly newly established large commandery and kingdom, and just hearing about it made He Qi and the others' hearts surge with excitement. Especially He Qi, who had thought of something because of Liu Feng's words, suddenly felt his mouth dry and his tongue parched.

Sure enough, Liu Feng's next words excited He Qi so much that he would be willing to die on the spot in front of Liu Feng.

"Gongmiao, I intend to recommend you as the Prefect of Xin County and the Prefect of Nanping County, concurrently serving as the Southern Commandant. You may establish two thousand county troops. In addition, I will send Gao Shun to lead his twenty thousand troops to Nanping by sea."

Liu Feng turned to look at He Qi and said solemnly, "Gongmiao, I have only one request for you: completely subdue the Baiyue people in the county and make them obey my orders as the Left General. Can you do that?"

"I am willing to go through fire and water for the general's cause, and I will not hesitate to do so!"

He Qi immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Feng, saying, "If I cannot fulfill the general's will, I am willing to atone with my death!"

At this moment, He Qi's loyalty to Liu Feng was almost off the charts; his tiger-like eyes were filled with tears, and his voice sounded like he was weeping blood.

No wonder He Qi was so excited. Liu Feng gave him a name, a position, troops, money, and provisions. It could even be said that a prefecture was specially set up for him.

Before meeting Liu Feng, He Qi had served as the county magistrate of Kuaiji Commandery four times, acting like a firefighter, suppressing rebellions everywhere.

Although the achievements were made, the credit was not paid.

Approaching forty, he was still stuck in a lowly position with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain measure), and hadn't even rebelled. High-ranking officials like Wang Lang had completely forgotten about him, which was heartbreaking. Now, having followed Liu Feng, in less than two years, he was promoted to the position of prefect of a prefecture with a salary of 2,000 shi, in a newly established prefecture created specifically for him. Even more extravagantly, he also concurrently held the position of Southern Commandant, effectively wielding both military and political power. Furthermore, Gao Shun's troops were specially transferred to Nanping Prefecture to help him pacify the mountain tribes, demonstrating the utmost trust and favor shown to him.

Seeing these comparisons, it's no wonder that He Qi was willing to die for Liu Feng.

In fact, in the study at this moment, not only He Qi, but also the two young men, Lü Meng and Ling Tong, were watching with great enthusiasm. If they hadn't still had a sliver of clarity in their minds, they would have already been roaring with excitement along with He Qi. Even Xu Chu felt envious, but he knew his own limitations, and all he could think about was envy.

Zhuge Liang and the other two were surprised by the honor bestowed upon He Qi, but they were more concerned with speculating about He Qi's talent.

Zhuge Liang spent the longest time with Liu Feng, and he knew very well how sharp Liu Feng's judgment was.

Putting everything else aside, the talent of his current colleagues Lu Xun and Pang Tong alone amazed him. Not to mention that Liu Feng had also collected a large number of books of all kinds, which were completely open to Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun and Pang Tong, allowing them to borrow them at will, and he also gave them a lot of guidance and instruction.

These teachings were all invaluable words of wisdom, which surprised and delighted Zhuge Liang and his companions.

Originally, Zhuge Liang and the other two did not believe that talent was bestowed by heaven, but after spending time with Liu Feng, this belief began to quietly crumble.

Liu Feng continued speaking to He Qi: "Gongmiao, I have separated Gan Commandery from Yuzhang Commandery, appointing Yu Zhongxiang as its governor and Zhou Gongjin as the governor of Poyang Commandery. Both of these places are located around Ru Commandery. If you have any grand plans, you can consult with Zhou Gongjin and Yu Zhongxiang. You only need to report to the Ministry of War."

Upon hearing this, He Qi was overjoyed. He knew that Zhou Yu also had an army of 20,000 men. In this way, he could personally command 22,000 men and would also have the opportunity to receive support from another 20,000-strong army. He Qi felt that this happiness came too quickly and too intensely.

Liu Feng seemed to remember something and asked He Qi, "By the way, what do you think of Shang Sheng, Zhang Ya, Zhan Qiang, He Xiong, and the others you mentioned earlier? Are they capable of being used?"

Shang Sheng was the official magistrate of Dongye County. In fact, the registered population of Dongye County had long exceeded 10,000 households, but since Dongye was the only county in southern Kuaiji, it was naturally suppressed. Kuaiji Prefecture was only willing to give it the official title of magistrate with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain).

As for Zhang Ya, Zhan Qiang, and He Xiong, they were all local strongmen in Dongye. Zhang Ya and He Xiong were even related as father-in-law and son-in-law, but they did not get along.

In the original timeline, all of these people were defeated by He Qi. Shang Sheng was so frightened by a single letter from He Qi that he wanted to surrender. Zhang Ya and He Xiong were defeated by He Qi leading a small number of his troops and the Yue people. Zhan Qiang was so frightened by the defeat of Zhang Ya and He Xiong that he surrendered the city. And this was just a small test for He Qi in southern Kuaiji.

He Qi hurriedly replied, "Shang Sheng is quite talented and has a good reputation among the people of Houguan. Zhang Ya and He Xiong are just brave men and not worth worrying about. Zhan Qiang is decent at governing, but he lacks wisdom and has no courage to speak of."

"good."

Liu Feng then said, "In that case, these people are yours to deal with."

He Qi bowed and said, "Thank you, my lord."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Feng added, "Gongmiao, I have one more thing to tell you before you head south."

He Qi dared not be careless and waited patiently for orders.

Liu Feng smiled and patted the other man's arm: "No need to be so formal. We are just having a discussion. As a frontline general, military affairs change in an instant. You must not be confined to your own territory."

Liu Feng's words not only made He Qi ponder deeply, but also moved Zhuge Liang and others, who felt that his words made sense.

"On this trip south, I have twelve words to give to Gongmiao."

Liu Feng continued, "Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy, winning people over is the next best, and seizing territory is the worst."

After silently reciting it once, He Qi suddenly understood. He felt that the problem that had been veiled in his mind was now suddenly clear.

Seeing He Qi's enlightened expression, Liu Feng was very pleased and continued, "In the mountains, the Baiyue people have multiplied and thrived. Even if a large army enters the mountains, it will be difficult to completely eliminate them. Therefore, only by winning over the hearts of the Baiyue people can we achieve peace for a lifetime."

After a pause, Liu Feng continued, "I have prepared 50,000 bolts of cloth, 100,000 shi of coarse salt, and 200,000 shi of grain for you to win over the hearts of the Baiyue people. If Gongmiao can build a new prefecture and pacify the Baiyue within two years, I will remember Gongmiao's great achievement."

"Miaoya!"

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but agree, saying, "Winning hearts and minds is the best policy; this is truly invaluable advice."

"What Kongming said is very true."

Pang Tong stroked his goatee and nodded repeatedly: "The Baiyue people rely on the mountains for their strength, which is difficult to eliminate. Only by winning their hearts and minds can we achieve complete victory."

Lu Xun, with his fair complexion and clean beard, added from the side, "My lord, should we add another naval force to Prefect He?"

Liu Feng realized what was happening and chuckled, "I was prepared, but I just forgot to mention it."

"Fortunately, Boyan was able to fill in the gaps and make up for the deficiencies."

Liu Feng praised Lu Xun, then said to He Qi, "I have appointed Xue Zhou as the commander of the Nanping Navy and Zheng Bao as the deputy commander, each commanding 4,000 men and 350 warships of various sizes, to head south to Dongye to provide you with backup."

As mentioned earlier, Nanping is a hub of waterway transportation, with convenient access in all directions. However, without the protection of the navy, it would not be a convenient transportation hub, but rather a place surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Xuezhou was a pirate state with a navy, hence the position of Grand Commander. Zheng Bao, on the other hand, only had experience in inland waterways and was not as experienced and comprehensive as Xuezhou, so he could only serve as Deputy Grand Commander.

Even so, these were all high-ranking officials with salaries of two thousand shi (a unit of grain). Not to mention during peaceful times, even at the end of Emperor Ling's reign, people like Xue Zhou and Zheng Bao, with their backgrounds, would never have been able to attain such official positions.

Therefore, Xue Zhou and Zheng Bao were quite satisfied and readily agreed to hand over the excess troops without much resistance.

After all, their forces at this time were far smaller than they had been in history.

In the original timeline, during the third year of Jian'an (198 AD), Zheng Bao and Xue Zhou had a combined force of tens of thousands of households, including forty to fifty thousand able-bodied men. As their power grew, their ambitions naturally increased.

Currently, their combined followers number just over ten thousand, so it's naturally incomparable to what they were before.

Upon hearing Liu Feng mention the support of eight thousand naval troops, He Qi was speechless with emotion.

At this point, what else could He Qi say but to fight to the death?

That evening, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for He Qi, and both host and guests were delighted.

(End of this chapter)