My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 503 Touring Jingnan
After leaving Changsha, Liu Feng made a special trip to inspect the four counties in southern Jingzhou.

Due to time constraints, he did not tour all the counties, but instead selected the capitals of four prefectures and inspected the famous cities and counties along the way.

The fundamental purpose of this was to stabilize public sentiment and enable the four prefectures of Jingnan to play a better role in the upcoming major plan for Jiaozhou.

Liu Feng's unintentional actions moved Kuai Yue deeply.

After all, this inspection tour, though not every county was to be quelled, still took more than a month.

Liu Feng had time to travel to the counties, yet he entrusted all the important affairs of Jiaozhou to Kuai Yue. Now, Kuai Yue's goodwill towards Liu Feng was at its peak, so it was impossible for the other party not to think of the positive side.

In response, Liu Feng said, "I don't know. I didn't think that way. I simply wanted to win over the powerful clans and gentry of Jingnan. After all, although this place is better than Lingnan and Jiaozhou right now, strictly speaking, it's still a land of miasma and witchcraft, and not suitable for a long stay."

Even Xu Chu fell ill, but fortunately Fan A and his disciples were by his side. Liu Feng also had some knowledge of miasma. After three to five days, although Xu Chu had not fully recovered, he was able to get out of bed.

After this experience, Liu Feng's personal guards became much more obedient and dared not drink raw water anymore. They strictly followed Liu Feng's instructions, and no matter how thirsty they were, they had to drink boiled and cooled water as long as they wouldn't die of thirst.

It took Liu Feng more than a month to travel through Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling before arriving at Wuling County.

It's quite a coincidence, to say the least, that Liu Feng happened to run into Ma Liang, the White-Browed Man, right here.

Ma Liang was ordered by him to come to Wuling to contact Shamoke and persuade him to surrender.

It just so happened that Liu Feng's inspection of Jingnan was not kept secret; on the contrary, it spread. After receiving the news, Ma Liang specially brought Sha Moke's son, Sha Moxiong, to Tancheng County to welcome Liu Feng.

Tancheng County was an important passage from Wuling Commandery to Lingling Commandery, a land route through the Ten Thousand Mountains, and a necessary stop for Liu Feng to travel north from Lingling Commandery to Wuling Commandery.

At the same time, this is the only county in the southern part of Wuling Prefecture. Further north is Chenyang County, which is located hundreds of miles away and near the central line of Wuling Prefecture.

One reason why Tancheng County is isolated in the southern part of Wuling Prefecture is its geographical location. South of Chenyang County, the mountainous areas become increasingly higher, surrounded by mountains, and people can only live in the fragmented plains within the mountains.

In that case, wouldn't this place become the domain of the Jing and Man tribes?

Han Chinese forces would not easily expand into these areas. As the Jingman retreated, the strength of this region was strengthened, and the Wuxi Man, which formed here, became the leading force among the Jingman.

Leaders of the Wuxi barbarians like Shamoke, who could even call themselves barbarian kings, relied on their population of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, including 100,000 able-bodied men and thousands of full-time barbarian soldiers.

Fortunately, the Jingman people had been severely beaten by the Han Dynasty, making them much more docile than the Shanyue, and their Sinicization was also much deeper than that of the Shanyue.

Take the Wuxi barbarians as an example. Although they are called barbarians, the Wuxi barbarians mainly make a living by farming, supplemented by fishing and hunting. This is already a completely Sinicized way of life.

Moreover, the Wuxi barbarians did not have as many conflicts with the Han people as the Shanyue, which is mainly due to several reasons.

The first reason is that the Wuxi barbarians were badly beaten by the Han Chinese. At the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, the Han Chinese developed the southern plains on a large scale and drove the barbarians there into the mountains. These were the ancestors of the Wuxi barbarians. In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wuxi barbarians took advantage of the chaos in the Western Han Dynasty to develop and wanted to revive. However, they were beaten by the newly established Eastern Han Dynasty and retreated back into the mountains.

The two consecutive large-scale defeats were unforgettable, and made the fear of the Han people deeply rooted in the hearts of the Jingman people.

The second reason is that the location is different.

Located on the second tier of China's social hierarchy, the Jingman people were backed by countless mountains. Although these mountains also had their own inhabitants, they were far more formidable than the Han people.

After the Jingman population overflowed, they often did not choose to enter the plains to compete with the Han people for land, but instead continued to expand towards the mountains to the west.

But the Shanyue cannot, because the Shanyue are located on the edge of the first step. At the end of the mountains, there are no more mountains, but plains. No matter how big the mountains are, there will always be a day when the Shanyue cannot be contained.

This forced the Yue people to descend from the mountains to compete with the Han people for land, even at the cost of human lives. As a result, the conflicts between the Yue people and the Han people, both in frequency and intensity, far exceeded those between the Jingman people.

The third reason is the degree of Sinicization. The Jingman have shifted from resistance to appeasement. The Jingman admire the Han people's system and like the Han people's way of life. Although the Shanyue also have similar tribes in this regard, they are far less profound than the Jingman.

The Ma family and the Wuxi barbarians have a long-standing relationship, with trade between them lasting for over a century. While the Ma family's rise to prominence was partly due to their success in officialdom, their trade channels with the Wuxi barbarians also played a crucial role.

What particularly excited the Ma brothers was that they understood Shamoke's thoughts.

This is a typical pro-Han leader, and he is definitely someone who can be won over.

Now that Liu Feng has handed this matter over to the Ma family, what difference is there between handing over a meat pie to them?
Therefore, Ma Liang dared not delay at all, and immediately led a team of guards and various gifts, traveling lightly and simply to Tancheng County.

They had almost reached an agreement with Shamoke when Liu Feng, who was traveling north from Lingling, was about to pass through Tancheng County. This made Ma Liang feel that his family was incredibly lucky.

Suppressing their secret joy, Ma Liang and Sha Moke discussed the matter and then took Sha Moxiong, the other party's son, directly to Tancheng County to wait.

The efficiency of the Ma family and Ma Liang greatly exceeded Liu Feng's expectations. When he received the news from Ma Liang, he could hardly believe it.

However, since the person has been brought along, it's natural to ask them in person.

Therefore, Liu Feng quickened his pace and arrived in Tancheng County the following afternoon. That evening, he hosted a banquet for Sha Moxiong.

Samoo was a burly man, eight feet tall, with long arms and well-developed muscles. One glance was enough to tell that he was an expert archer.

Liu Feng immediately used his precious bow as a stake to provoke his opponent into a contest with Taishi Ci.

Shamoxiong was very confident. Although he was inferior to his father in other aspects, he was the best archer and was the number one archer among the Wuxi barbarians.

"Is the general truly telling the truth?"

Shamoxiong glanced at the precious bow, his heart wavering, feeling that the Han Chinese general in front of him was just looking for an excuse to give him a gift.

"Hahaha, what's so valuable about a mere bow and arrows?"

Liu Feng laughed loudly: "I admire your prowess, but I have many fierce generals under my command. It would be unfair to bestow rewards lightly. Tonight, we are all gathered here, and you are all valiant warriors. Let us settle this with our martial prowess! A small reward is not worth mentioning!"

Sha Moxiong looked at Liu Feng in the main seat, and his heart stirred.

Although he was from Jingman, he had a very high opinion of himself.

There is a saying among the Han people: heroes admire heroes.

Therefore, he felt that Liu Feng had the spirit of a hero.

"If that's the case, I'm willing to demonstrate martial arts for the general!"

Shamoxiong stood up like a Han Chinese and bowed to Liu Feng. Liu Feng nodded, then pointed to his right: "All of you here are my henchmen, my trusted generals. I will not deceive you; you may choose any of them to compete with."

Liu Feng didn't intentionally frame Sha Moke's eldest son. While there were skilled archers like Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang among the attendees, there were also mediocre archers like Xu Sheng and Lü Fan.

As long as Sha Moxiong doesn't choose one of Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, or Xu Huang, he's basically guaranteed victory. Even if he chooses Zhang Liao or Xu Huang, he might still have a chance to compete.

However, Liu Feng ultimately underestimated Sha Moxiong. He actually pointed at Taishi Ci and said, "I see that this general is seated at the head of the table, so he must be one of your favorites. Since we are going to have a competition, we should naturally choose the strongest. Sha Moxiong, please have a match with this person!"

Liu Feng chuckled to himself. How was Sha Moxiong's choice any different from inviting humiliation?

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Feng glanced at the eager Taishi Ci and kindly advised, "I see that you possess the spirit of a hero, and are open and generous. I admire you and do not wish to deceive you. I can tell you that the person you pointed to is my archery and horsemanship mentor. I have over a hundred generals under my command, and countless fierce warriors. However, his archery skills are unparalleled. Now that you know, I can give you a chance to choose someone else."

Liu Feng was kind-hearted and pleased with Sha Moxiong's honesty, so he was unwilling to deceive him.

Unexpectedly, Sha Moxiong knelt on one knee and bowed deeply to Liu Feng: "General, you are not willing to deceive me, this is true integrity. However, I am also the best archer among the people of Wuxi. Now that I have met the best archer under your command, how can there be two bests in the world? We shall settle this with a duel!"

"it is good!"

Liu Feng clasped his hands in praise and said, "Well said!"

"I underestimated you."

Liu Feng stood up, holding a wine cup in his left hand, and walked down from his seat. Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the hall, he came to Sha Moxiong and extended his right hand to help him up.

Liu Feng presented the wine cup to Sha Moke and said apologetically, "You are a hero. I apologize for underestimating you earlier. Please drink this cup!"

Shamo Xiong was overjoyed and immediately thanked Liu Feng, then took the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

In the subsequent competition, Samoo's archery skills were indeed superb, and he was also adept at rapid-fire archery.

If either Zhang Liao or Xu Huang were chosen, they would likely be a formidable opponent.

Unfortunately, his chosen opponent was Taishi Ci.

Despite fearing that Taishi Ci might hold back slightly at Liu Feng's suggestion, he still managed to defeat Shamoxiong, and the winning method was none other than the opponent's most proficient technique: rapid-fire arrows.

This greatly shocked Samoo.

Just as Liu Feng was signaling Ma Liang to step in and smooth things over, Sha Moxiong knelt down before Taishi Ci and said, "General, your archery skills are unparalleled in the world. I am convinced!"

Everyone present was utterly astonished. Just moments before, they had worried that Shamoxiong would be enraged by his humiliation, potentially jeopardizing the surrender process. Unexpectedly, after his defeat, Shamoxiong turned around and showed such admiration for Taishi Ci.

Seeing Liu Feng's astonishment, Ma Liang quietly left his seat and stepped forward to explain, "The Wuxi barbarians value heroes, especially archery. It is not surprising that General Taishi's archery is so divine that Sha Moxiong was amazed and immediately bowed down in admiration."

Liu Feng suddenly realized that Taishi Ci had single-handedly gone to Danyang and managed to subdue Zu Lang and his group. A group of mountain chieftains turned into self-proclaimed patriots, contributing money and manpower to help Taishi Ci conquer three counties and appoint himself as the governor of Danyang.

If the Yue people in the mountains are like this, what about the Wuxi barbarians?
It seems that Taishi Ci had a certain advantage in persuading these barbarian tribes to surrender.

Liu Feng was overjoyed and immediately rewarded Taishi Ci with the precious bow. At the same time, he also took out another precious bow and gave it to Sha Moxiong.

Seeing that Shamoxiong was somewhat ashamed to recommend him, Liu Feng advised, "It is true that a precious bow is given to a brave warrior. In my opinion today, you can be called a brave warrior of the Five Streams. Why should I begrudge you a bow and arrow? You may accept it."

"The general is benevolent and magnanimous, and his henchmen are all fierce and ruthless men. He treats me like family. I am completely convinced of his virtue today."

Samoo got very drunk that night and was taken to a guest room.

Liu Feng was in high spirits and summoned Ma Liang that very evening to inquire about the details, which Ma Liang then explained one by one.

Shamoke was quite satisfied with the conditions offered by Liu Feng, but he was somewhat worried about Liu Feng's sincerity.

Liu Feng wanted to register all the people as citizens. The soldiers of the Wuxi Barbarians who had given up their jobs could be incorporated into the regular military forces and given money and food. It was as if all the taxes collected from the Wuxi Barbarians were spent on this.

For this reason, Liu Feng was willing to grant Sha Moke the treatment of a county marquis, a pavilion marquis, and two Guannei marquises.

From a later perspective, it seems that Shamoke was at a disadvantage, but in the Eastern Han Dynasty, especially when the nobility system had not depreciated, these four titles were quite valuable.

It should be noted that, to date, no one under Liu Feng has been formally granted a marquisate.

Most of those with titles were surrendered generals from Jingzhou and Yangzhou, and whether their titles were recognized by Liu Feng was still unknown.

Take Zhang Liao and Xu Huang as examples. When Zhang Liao served under Lü Bu, he was not only the Chancellor of Lu, but also held the nominal position of Governor of Beidi, effectively holding two governorships with salaries of two thousand shi (a unit of grain). Moreover, Zhang Liao was already a General of the Household, a genuine and highly prestigious position appointed by the imperial court. This was naturally a reward he received after assisting Wang Yun in killing Dong Zhuo alongside Lü Bu.

At this time, Zhang Liao held both civil and military positions with a salary of 6,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). While this was a joke, it also revealed Zhang Liao's status under Lü Bu, making him a minor warlord under Lü Bu.

However, after Zhang Liao surrendered to Cao Cao, the two prefectural titles were immediately revoked, and he was only retained as a general. At the same time, in order to commend Zhang Liao for his merit in surrendering with his army and the State of Lu, Cao Cao, on behalf of the court, granted Zhang Liao the title of Marquis within the Passes.

Marquis within the Passes is the lowest rank of nobility, one level below Marquis of the Pavilion.

Xu Huang followed Yang Feng in protecting the emperor and successfully escorted him back east. Yang Feng was then appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry. Xu Huang also received the title of Marquis of Duting.

However, after surrendering to Cao Cao, Xu Huang's title of Marquis of Duting was not recognized at all and was immediately erased.

It is evident that by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the titles of nobility were strictly controlled and were not distributed or awarded indiscriminately like the titles of generals.

However, Liu Feng was not worried that his generals would be dissatisfied.

Firstly, Liu Feng had high prestige and could keep people in check; secondly, he was a formidable opponent throughout the entire match, so who would dare to challenge him?

Secondly, Liu Feng had already submitted a memorial to the court, requesting rewards for the merits of his generals.

Putting aside other matters, military commanders like Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, Zhou Yu, Jia Kui, and Gao Shun, who led their own armies, were at least granted the title of general and marquis within the pass.

Once the title of nobility is granted, the reward for recruiting Shamoke becomes less significant.

After all, Shamok brought hundreds of thousands of people to submit, which was a real, tangible benefit.

(End of this chapter)