My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 429 Two Developments
The southern part of Kuaiji was the location of the later Jianzhen City.

A fierce battle, or rather a massacre, is underway.

Standing on the high ground, He Qi watched as the Han soldiers, clad in crimson armor, attacked in all directions, driving away the Yue people. Every time the Yue people tried to band together in resistance, an elite force of armored warriors would charge forward, smashing them to pieces.

Gao Shun, clad in iron armor, strode through the ranks, directing the Han army to infiltrate and attack, constantly surrounding large groups of Yue soldiers. Then, with his elite armored warriors as the vanguard, he would slice the enemy into smaller pieces like butter with a knife, and then annihilate them.

Flames raged in the mountain stronghold, but no one paid any attention. Women and children who knelt down and begged to surrender were spared by the Han soldiers, while those who resisted were all regarded as enemies, regardless of whether they were women, children, or the old.

As dawn approached, most of the mountain stronghold had quieted down, with only a few corners still echoing with shouts of battle.

Luo Xing, the leader of the stronghold, was captured alive and brought before He Qi.

Upon seeing He Qi, Luo Xing gritted his teeth, but his eyes were filled with deep fear.

"Why...why are you here?"

Luo Xing gritted his teeth and tried his best to look fierce as he stared at He Qi.

He clearly received news that He Qi had gone to Dongye for the winter, which is why he dared to come down the mountain to plunder.

But who could have imagined that during the Lunar New Year, He Qi and Gao Shun would personally lead three thousand elite troops into the village and wipe out all 300 million people of the Luo Xing tribe?

He Qi sneered, "I have repeatedly ordered that the Yue people and the Han people should not interfere with each other. The court will allocate land to the Yue people who are willing to come down from the mountains, rent oxen and seeds, and even send special people to guide them in farming. Why don't you listen?"

"Not only did you refuse to listen, but you also went down the mountain to plunder the able-bodied men and women of the government and the common people, and killed the old, weak, women and children. How is your behavior any different from rebellion?"

The Yue people and Han people have lived together in Kuaiji for four hundred years. Many Yue people also know how to farm, but they are far less meticulous than the Han people.

The farming practices of the Yue people were decades or even centuries behind those of the Han people.

This gap is both in technology and in tools.

After Liu Feng took control of Yangzhou, he began to promote the curved plow throughout the city. The results were outstanding, saving 20% ​​of manpower while increasing output by 5%, making it an excellent example of cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

In addition, there was a severe drought in Jiangbei. Liu Bei had the government purchase all the oxen in the two counties of Jiangbei and send them to Jiangdong, which greatly increased the grain production in Jiangdong.

After the drought in Jiangbei ends next year, Jiangdong will provide another batch of oxen, resulting in a significant increase in grain production in both areas. This is the source of Liu Feng's confidence in expanding his army.

In order to further integrate Jiangdong and enhance its potential in terms of population, economy, and grain production, Liu Feng set his sights on the Yue people.

It should be noted that there are over a million Yue people in Jiangdong, and if the Jingman people of Jingzhou are included, the number could easily exceed four million.

This population size is equivalent to the resources of a large prefecture. Even if the output of the Yue and Jingman people cannot compare with that of the Han people, as long as they are willing to register as commoners and have the government and Han people to educate them, even if two or three of them are more than one Han person, that would still be more than a million Han people to pay taxes.

This is equivalent to having an extra Xuzhou.

It's not actually difficult to do this. The land is readily available. There are large areas of small plains in the mountains in the central and southern parts of Kuaiji. These places are difficult to develop because transportation is a problem, and the harassment from the Yue people is also a problem.

If the Yue people could be settled in these areas, two problems would be solved. However, a new problem arises: how to persuade the Yue people to come down from the mountains and settle on the plains to live an agricultural life.

Liu Feng entrusted this task to He Qi, who historically performed it exceptionally well, opening up three new prefectures and kingdoms in southern Kuaiji for Eastern Wu and the Great Emperor, and supplying Eastern Wu with a large amount of grain and soldiers.

In this dimension, Liu Feng provided He Qi with greater support, hoping that He Qi could bring him an even bigger surprise.

After He Qi arrived in Dongye, he immediately began to divide the counties into prefectures and counties in a grand manner, opening up the three counties of Nanping, Jianning, and Shunchang in one go.

Thanks to He Qi's reputation among the Yue people, in just a few months, dozens or even hundreds of Yue people came down the mountain to join him.

By the time of the New Year, these scattered Yue people had numbered more than nine thousand.

After discussing it, He Qi and Gao Shun divided these Yue people into four groups, each with more than two thousand people, and arranged them in the three newly built counties and Dongye. At the same time, they also transferred a group of poor people with no land or little land from Dongye to Nanping and allocated land to them.

Besides some wasteland, these lands also include a large amount of farmland.

Some of these farmlands belonged to local Yue and Han powerful families, while others belonged to Yue and Han clans under their control.

These people occupied the land but did not pay taxes. The long-term absence of government officials meant that, regardless of whether they were Han Chinese or Yue people, they only recognized their own powerful leaders.

He Qi's actions undoubtedly infringed upon the interests of these powerful families.

Nanping is in a better position. It is located on a plain, surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on one side, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The local strongmen, whether Han or Yue people, do not dare to openly provoke He Qi.

However, Luo Xing, a powerful Yue chieftain in Jian'ou, was quite active. Relying on the high mountains and dangerous roads, and with tens of thousands of followers, he did not take He Qi seriously at all. He even went down the mountain to plunder the Yue people and Han people that He Qi had settled in Jian'ou and enslave them.

Despite Luo Xing being a Yue person, his retinue included Han Chinese, and his slaves also included Yue people.

This is a historical issue stemming from the southern and central parts of Kuaiji. Luo Xing himself actually has Han Chinese ancestry, and if he wanted to, he could easily transform into a powerful Han Chinese clan.

Therefore, when they went down the mountain to plunder, they did not consider ethnic issues at all. As long as a young and strong person was present, whether they were Yue people or Han people, they would rob them without hesitation.

This is actually quite reasonable. The Han people also fight among themselves, and the Yue people in the mountains also plunder and wage war against each other. As long as the able-bodied men can work, there is indeed no need to distinguish between races.

Luo Xing's repeated provocations and plundering have deeply angered He Qi.

However, He Qi outwardly appeared cautious and sent envoys to Luo Xing three times in a row to persuade Luo Xing to accept registered citizens and expressed his willingness to arrange an official position for Luo Xing in Nanping County.

Upon hearing this news, the mountain tribes and Han powerful families near Jian'ou were in an uproar. Many of them even thought that He Qi was nothing special, and that he was not worthy of being feared by Luo Xing.

He Qi not only did not react to the discussions among the powerful figures around him, but also announced that he would go back to Dongye to celebrate the New Year.

The surrounding powerful figures were utterly astonished; in their eyes, He Qi was practically deserting his post. And indeed, a few days later, He Qi made a grand exit, heading straight for Dongye City without ever looking back.

He Qi's timid behavior not only completely alienated the surrounding Han and Yue chieftains, but also, with the exception of a very few cautious ones, the others were already plotting how to raid the mountains next year. It was foreseeable that by next spring, not only would Jian'ou and Shunchang be lost, but even Nanping would likely be lost.

But no one expected that He Qi, who had ostensibly returned to Dongye, would actually lead Gao Shun and three thousand carefully selected elite troops to sneak into Jian'ou by day and night, and tonight they would break through Luo Xing's mountain stronghold, wipe out his troops, and capture Luo Xing himself alive.

Once dawn breaks and news of Luo Xing's stronghold being breached and him captured spreads, the powerful clans of Jian'ou will likely not have a good New Year.

"You think I'm in Dongye, but I'm actually in Jian'ou."

He Qi walked up to Luo Xing, a hint of contempt on his dignified face: "Do I need to report to you where I am?"

Luo Xing was struck as if by a heavy blow. His mouth gaped open, and he hung his head in a daze.

"take away."

He Qi waved his hand, and the armored soldiers dragged Luo Xing away.

He then turned to Gao Shun and said, "Father, you deserve the greatest credit for this battle. I will definitely petition General Zuo for your commendation!"

He Qi couldn't be more satisfied with Gao Shun.

In fact, Liu Feng had ulterior motives in asking Gao Shun to cooperate with He Qi.

Gao Shun was not only exceptionally capable, excelling in both literature and martial arts, but more importantly, he was a man of unwavering integrity who valued loyalty and honor above life itself.

Overall, Gao Shun and Zhao Yun are actually quite similar. They are both unwaveringly loyal, possess exceptional military skills, have a keen strategic vision, and are both willing to offer honest but unwelcome advice.

When Gao Shun served under Lü Bu, he offered many insightful suggestions, but Lü Bu never listened to them. Yet Gao Shun remained loyal to Lü Bu, even saving Lü Bu's life and quelling Hao Meng's rebellion.

Gao Shun also had another advantage: he was easy to manage. Unlike other generals, he did not have strong personal desires. When Lü Bu transferred his elite elite troops to Wei Xu, Gao Shun did not complain at all.

Therefore, Liu Feng sent Gao Shun to cooperate with He Qi without worrying at all that Gao Shun would hinder He Qi for personal gain.

As Liu Feng had predicted, Gao Shun devoted himself entirely to training troops after arriving in Huinan, obeying He Qi's orders without question.

The success of this surprise attack on Luoxing Village was due to two main factors. First, He Qi's prestige prevented the mountain strongholds along the route from alerting Luoxing Village when the army passed through. Second, Gao Shun was a highly skilled commander who obeyed orders without question. He led a long-distance raid in the winter, traveling by day and resting by night without complaint, and followed orders flawlessly.

That's why He Qi promised Gao Shun credit right away.

"This is merely my duty, and I dare not trouble Prefect He with his praise."

Gao Shun cupped his hands in thanks to He Qi, then asked, "What are your next steps, Your Excellency?"

Luoxing was the primary target of this operation. Luoxing Village was strategically located and densely populated, and capturing it would allow it to serve as a stronghold to pacify the surrounding area. However, it was not the only objective of this operation.

Besides Luo Xing, He Qi also selected five other targets. If the operation did not go smoothly, Luo Xing would naturally be the priority. However, if the operation progressed smoothly, these secondary targets could be eliminated one by one.

These secondary targets were not comparable to Luo Xing; the largest among them had only a little over 7,000 men, while the smallest had only a little over 3,000.

The five of them combined numbered only about 25,000, none of whom were as powerful as Luo Xing's family.

He Qi sneered and said in a vicious voice, "Proceed according to the original plan, leave no one alive, wipe them all out!"

Gao Shun cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."

********
Coincidentally, to the northwest of Jian'ou, beyond the majestic Wuyi Mountains, in Poyang Prefecture, which was newly separated from Yuzhang Prefecture, a bloody massacre against the Yue people was also taking place.

The prefect of this prefecture was at that moment hosting a banquet for more than a dozen powerful figures dressed as Yue people on the shore of an open lake outside the prefecture's capital, Poyang.

These mountain chieftains were all leaders of their own strongholds, each commanding several thousand followers. The three leaders, in particular, were all powerful figures with over ten thousand followers.

The mountain chiefs were all eating with their mouths brimming with oil, as fish sashimi, roasted meat, and fried food were continuously served up and then disappeared into the gluttonous mouths of these chiefs.

Meanwhile, the hosts of the banquet, Zhou Yu, the Prefect of Poyang, and Zu Lang, the Commandant of Poyang, were watching with smiles as these people, who had no manners whatsoever, had strips of meat, dripping with oil, splashed onto their clothes, forming streaks and clumps of oil stains.

But the mountain chiefs didn't care at all, they just kept eating the delicacies that were offered to them, delicacies they had never tasted before.

"Gentlemen, what have you thought of my suggestion?"

Zhou Yu raised his wine cup with a smile and invited the Yue chieftains to join him. He then asked, "This is a generous reward from our lord, a testament to his benevolence. If you are willing to obey General Zuo's orders and come down from the mountains to become registered citizens, you will be satisfied with these snow salt, frost sugar, sesame oil, and silk."

The Yue chieftains seemed unmoved by Zhou Yu's words and continued eating.

Zhou Yu's smile faded. He had known for a long time that these people were not good people, but he did not expect them to be so rude.

After Zhou Yu moved his capital to Poyang, he and Zu Lang, the Poyang Commandant, actively began their work, focusing on gathering people, reclaiming wasteland, and persuading the Yue people in the mountains to come down and register as commoners.

Zu Lang enjoyed great prestige in Danyang and Poyang. With his help, more than 40,000 people had left the mountains in less than half a year, which greatly exceeded Zhou Yu's expectations and naturally made him overjoyed.

Liu Feng also provided Zhou Yu with a lot of support, including grain, seeds, oxen, iron farm tools, curved plows and other supplies.

Zhou Yu prioritized distributing the thousand gold pieces and horse bones to these Yue people in the mountains, and hired Han Chinese farmers to guide them in farming and sericulture.

Everything was progressing in a positive direction, but a mountain chieftain named Zu Duan suddenly appeared and joined forces with more than a dozen mountain tribes to fight against Zhou Yu.

These Yue tribes were all beneficiaries who were unwilling to leave the mountains and whose interests were harmed when Zulang called on the Yue people to leave.

They were already quite displeased with the actions of Zhou Yu and Zu Lang, and now that Zu Duan had issued a call to action, these people responded one after another and began to gather troops to fight against Zhou Yu.

On flat ground, these people were naturally no match for the Han soldiers, but they hid in the mountains and would come down to plunder and raid from time to time, which gave Zhou Yu a great headache.

(End of this chapter)