My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 553 Unstoppable
After Wei Yan's army entered the city, they took over the defense of the city, the city gates, and the city towers and fortifications. They then raised their flags to welcome Wei Yan into the city.

After Wei Yan entered the city, he took out an imperial edict and handed it to Chang Shen.

Chang Shen took it with trepidation, opened it, and was both surprised and delighted, but then he was enveloped by a huge fear.

It turned out that this edict was indeed an imperial decree, and the seal affixed was the seal of the Left General's headquarters.

Chang Shen was initially quite happy, but then he suddenly remembered that this thing should have been given to him before the city was opened.

If the other party refused to give it to me before, what would happen if I didn't open the city gates?
Thinking of this, Chang Shen couldn't help but look at the imposing general in front of him, who was eight feet tall and had a face like a red date.

This guy clearly wants to use my head to gain credit.

Despite having this thought, Chang Shen felt no anger whatsoever; his heart was filled only with the joy of surviving a calamity.

“County Chief Chang has abandoned the darkness and embraced the light; you will temporarily continue to serve as County Chief Lu Gao.”

As Wei Yan watched the large army pass through the city, entering from the southeast gate and exiting from the northwest gate, heading northwest, he ordered Chang Shen, "I'll give you three days to gather five hundred able-bodied men to serve as laborers for the army. By the way, how much grain is left in the city?"

Chang Shen was taken aback. The city had only about 500 households and less than 3,000 people. To conscript 500 able-bodied men would practically deplete the male population of Lugao County.

Chang Shen was able to hold the position of county magistrate of Lugao County for more than ten years. Besides his decent abilities, his greatest strength was his kind heart.

Therefore, the people of Lugao County greatly respected Chang Shen and were willing to obey his orders.

Only through unity of purpose can Lugao County stand firm amidst the surrounding threat of the Baiyue people.

"General, Lugao County is small, with only about two thousand people in the city, and less than five hundred able-bodied men. We beg you to have mercy and give the people of Lugao a way to survive."

Chang Shen bowed deeply to Wei Yan while earnestly pleading for his life.

How much grain is left in the city?

Wei Yan did not immediately grant Chang Shen's request, but instead asked a new question.

Chang Shen immediately replied, "There are still more than four thousand shi of grain remaining in the city."

Wei Yan frowned and said unhappily, "Why is there so little?"

Chang Shen hurriedly explained: "The arable land in Lügao County is only a little over 10,000 mu, and the yield is barely more than half of that in the Central Plains. Although it can yield two to three harvests a year, the annual grain production is only a little over 50,000 shi. Most of it is for the people of Lügao. The county has only a few dozen officials and soldiers. This surplus grain is actually the food and reserves for all the officials and soldiers in the county."

Chang Shen actually concealed one more thing: the reason why Lugao County has been able to survive until now is because it has not paid taxes for several years.

Yong Kai intercepted the taxes and land taxes that were to be handed over to Chengdu, while Chang Shen intercepted the taxes and land taxes that were to be handed over to Dianchi Lake.

However, the difference is that Yong Kai did it to strengthen himself and fight against Chengdu, while Chang Shen did it simply because he couldn't pay his taxes and land taxes.

Even if taxes were paid at the lowest standard, Lügao County could not sustain itself. Even if all the officials and soldiers in the county starved to death without eating or drinking, they still could not pay the grain tax of 6,000 shi, as well as the tax of more than one million shi in taxes, poll tax, and land tax.

Wei Yan nodded slowly, thinking to himself that this Lügao was a formally established county, yet its accumulated grain was less than that of the local Baiyue strongmen.

This is actually normal. There are far more than 100,000 mu of farmland that can be cultivated within Lugao County.
However, the Han people could only gather together in the town of Lügao, and the only farmland they could cultivate was centered around the town of Lügao. Not to mention going deep into the mountains, even going too far away from Lügao was not safe.

Fortunately, the fields in Lugao County are relatively fertile and irrigated with warm water, many of which are naturally formed, high-quality paddy fields.

The local powerful families were different. Although they practiced slash-and-burn agriculture, which resulted in low yields, the yields of paddy fields were naturally much higher than those of dry land. In addition, they did not have to worry about being far from the city. Furthermore, the Baiyue people did not rely solely on farming; they also engaged in fishing and hunting.

It's important to know that meat provides more energy than grain, so it's natural that a lot of grain can be saved, and it's not surprising that the reserves exceed those of Lugao County.

"Then conscript four hundred laborers."

Chang Shen nearly jumped up in anger at what Wei Yan said. Was this really a matter of one hundred laborers?
Just as Chang Shen was about to continue his resistance, Wei Yan's next words stunned him.

"All conscripted laborers are provided with rations by the shogunate, two shi (a unit of dry measure) per person per month. If they do not need rations, they can exchange them for cloth and salt."

"Food has been distributed!?"

Chang Shen was shocked. When did conscripting laborers start paying them?

Moreover, the monthly reward of two shi (a unit of dry measure) is quite substantial, and it can be exchanged for equivalent amounts of cloth and salt, which are scarce hard currencies in the mountains.

Wei Yan glanced over with a cool gaze: "What, is there a problem?"

Chang Shen quickly shook his head: "No, no, there aren't any more."

Although Chang Shen said it was over, he was actually still wondering about it.

Wei Yan's compensation was so good that Chang Shen could hardly believe it. But since the other side had already made concessions and offered such good conditions, if he refused again, they might punish him under military law.

Wei Yan seemed to see through Chang Shen's thoughts and added, "We will first distribute one month's wages using the grain stored in the county. In addition, you all need to reinforce and expand the granary. The remaining grain will arrive in Lügao tomorrow. If it cannot be settled, you will be the ones to question us."

Upon hearing this, Chang Shen was filled with mixed emotions, including surprise and worry.

Finally, Chang Shen gritted his teeth and had no choice but to turn around and summon the officials and soldiers in Lügao County, ordering them to immediately conscript laborers and spread the word about the treatment of these laborers.

After seeing Chang Shen go off to do his business, Wei Yan's lips curled up slightly. He turned his gaze to the city and the large army marched forward. Only two hundred veteran soldiers were left in Lügao County to support the rest of the army. They would rejoin the main force after the garrison troops arrived.

After Chang Shen returned, Wei Yan stopped him again and inquired in detail about many things, such as the situation of the surrounding Baiyue people, the trade situation, and even the details of the counties such as Dianchi and Weixian occupied by Yong Kai.

Chang Shen knew some things but not others, but he told the truth about everything.

In the days that followed, relying on his elite troops and the legacy of the Han dynasty, Wei Yan advanced with unstoppable momentum.

In just four or five days, they captured a city and a village in succession.

Cheng is the county seat of Wuzhu County, located at the confluence of the Wen River and its tributary, the Qiao River, effectively controlling navigation on the surrounding Wen River and Qiao River. Zhai is Kaiyuan Village to the south, less than ten miles from the Wen River, and a transportation hub leading to Yilong Lake in Shiping and Bengu County.

Taking this city and village would effectively shield and protect the warm waterway from enemy attacks.

Upon arrival, Lu Xun immediately dispatched a thousand garrison troops to two locations. He then continued northward with his main force and the Baiyue tribes, whose numbers had dwindled to 1,100.

On this day, Wei Yan continued northward along the Wenjiang River, his destination being Wudan County. Wudan County did not actually belong to Yizhou Commandery, but was a county of the neighboring Zangke Commandery. Geographically speaking, Wudan County should undoubtedly belong to Yizhou Commandery, but according to the tradition of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was forcibly separated and assigned to Zangke Commandery.

Similar to Wuzhen County, Wudan County is also an important town on the Wenshui River, located at the confluence of the Wenshui River and the Haikou River. From here, one can turn from the Wenshui River into the Haikou River, and travel more than 30 miles west to connect with Fuxian Lake.

The water in Fuxian Lake is fed by the Haikou River, which in turn connects with the river at the southern end of Fuxian Lake. After the river and the bridge water merge, warm water is injected again, forming a rectangle.

Unlike Wuzhen County and Lügao County, Wudan County, although located in Zangke Prefecture, was actually under the jurisdiction of Yongkai.

The officials and soldiers here were all under Yong Kai's command, and five hundred soldiers were specially stationed here.

Yongkai attached great importance to Wudan County because of its geographical location. It is not only a key point for controlling the Wen River, the Yellow River and Fuxian Lake, but also a barrier to the west and southwest of Dianchi Lake.

Wudan County and Yuyuan County are only thirty miles apart, forming a strategic defensive position and echoing each other, making them the most solid barrier for the Dianchi Plain.

Once the Han army conquers this place, the gate to Dianchi Lake will be completely opened, and the more than 200,000 mu of granaries on the entire Dianchi Plain will be completely exposed to the Han army's military might.

At the same time, it also meant that the waterway connection between the only two major counties in Yizhou Commandery had been completely severed. Moreover, the Han army could also divide its forces here and continue north along the Wen River to attack Wei County, another major county in Yizhou Commandery.

Conversely, if Yongkai's people in Weixian wanted to reinforce Dianchi Lake, they would have to take a detour by land.

Although this route is considered an official road, it still cannot compare to the Central Plains. More than 30% of the route involves traveling through mountains, making it far less convenient and faster than waterways.

Yizhou Commandery comprised a total of seventeen counties, among which Dianchi and Weicheng were of paramount importance. One was the main granary of Yizhou Commandery, and the other was the transportation hub of the entire commandery, a secondary center second only to Dianchi.

The combined population of these two places is as high as 100,000, which accounts for more than half of the total population of Yizhou County.

Compared to these two places, Yuyuan County and Wudan County are not worth mentioning.

Yuyuan County is a fishing town with a population of only 1,100 households, half of whom are fishermen and the other half are the families of soldiers stationed there.

The same applies to Wudan County, which has a total population of 1,200 households. Of these, 500 households are the families of the stationed soldiers, 400 of the remaining 700 households are farmers, 200 are fishermen, and the last 100 are Baiyue hunters.

These messages naturally all came from Chang Shen, who had served as the county magistrate of Lügao for over ten years and was quite knowledgeable about local affairs in Yizhou County.

After learning the truth, Wei Yan advanced his troops at a rapid pace, and in just four or five days they were already on their way north to Wudan County.

Unless scouts happened to be positioned in this direction and ran into his main force, Yong Kai was unlikely to know that his troops were on their way north.

Now Wei Yan's two hundred men have returned to their posts, and his two thousand elite troops are fully staffed with no vacancies.

Wei Yan couldn't help but have the idea of ​​taking all the credit for himself.

On this day, Wei Yan's troops had advanced to a point thirty li from Wudan County and forty li from Yuyuan County.

It was still early, but Wei Yan ordered the camp to be set up.

After setting up camp, Wei Yan ordered the central army drum to be beaten to summon his officers.

Before long, two military commanders, four military officers, along with their secretaries and clerks, all arrived.

"Gentlemen! A great achievement is within my grasp. I wish to bring this honor to the Left General. I wonder if any of you would be willing to lend me a hand?"

The officers under Wei Yan had served him for over a year and were quite familiar with his character.

Wei Yan was a generous and talented man who was good at training his soldiers and was exceptionally brave. However, he was also arrogant, which made it quite difficult for his officers to work.

Upon hearing Wei Yan's words, the two military commanders and four detached officers exchanged glances, realizing that their commander was about to unleash some dangerous and ingenious scheme.

Wei Yan waited for a moment, but when he didn't hear his officers eagerly volunteer, he became displeased. His face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "Why are you all silent?"

The six mid-level officers could no longer sit still. They quickly stood up, saluted Wei Yan, and said, "We will obey your orders, General!"

"Ah."

Wei Yan gave a faint snort, feeling dissatisfied with these officers. They didn't even understand the principle of seeking fortune in danger, so what kind of soldiers were they? He would find an opportunity to replace them in the future.

General Zuo's elite troops need no such mediocre and incompetent men.

“Come forward, all of you.”

On the table in front of Wei Yan was a sketch, with only a few strokes outlining the locations of Wudan County and Yuyuan County, as well as landmarks such as Fuxian Lake, Haikou River, and Wenshui.

This sketch was drawn by Chang Shen, and Wei Yan recorded it as a merit, waiting for the subsequent report of the merit before he would be rewarded.

"General Lu is good at recognizing and using people, and he has appointed me as the vanguard general. Since that is the case, I cannot let General Lu down."

Wei Yan knew that not only Sun Ce envied his position as a vanguard general, but even his former superior Huang Zhong was quite envious. It was only by chance that the position fell to him, and Lu Xun had also borne a lot of responsibility and pressure for it.

Since that's the case, then Wei Yan must perform even better to prove that the choices made by General Zuo and General Lu were correct.

"The counties of Wudan and Yuyuan are only thirty li apart, and the distance from where we are encamped is only thirty or forty li."

At this point, Wei Yan looked up at the six officers in front of him and slowly continued, "I intend to take both cities within a single day. What do you all think?"

Wei Yan's words shocked all six mid-level officers.

Wei Yan's troops were at full strength at this time, but even so, there were only two thousand men.

There are two cities opposite us, each garrisoned with five hundred soldiers and capable of mobilizing hundreds more able-bodied men. The two cities are also close to each other. A surprise attack on one might have a good chance of success. However, if we want to take both cities at the same time, we must start fighting simultaneously, otherwise it will inevitably alert the other city.

The attacking force was smaller than the defending force, which was somewhat troublesome, but not impossible for these well-equipped elite troops.

The real problem is that there's a time limit.

Wei Yan's goal was to capture two cities in a single day.

(End of this chapter)