Half a month later, in Nanzhong.
Lu Ming arrived in Nanzhong with 20,000 soldiers. After taking medicinal decoctions, they had developed some immunity to the miasma.
The problems in Nanzhong had always been recurring…
And this time, he came to solve them completely.
It was the same old strategy: appeasement, division, and suppression.
By having the powerful clans who submitted to him govern and suppress them, while simultaneously expanding the economic pie so that everyone could get a share, the problems in Nanzhong could be resolved relatively well.
To conquer Nanzhong, it was definitely not the kind of psychological warfare and conquest portrayed in historical novels. If that were the case, it would inevitably lead to a quagmire of war from which there was no way to extricate oneself.
Others wouldn't submit so easily. Besides, the area was located in dense forests; once inside, poisonous snakes and diseases like dysentery could easily kill a man—what was the point of fighting?
Throughout history, the Han Chinese, when facing other ethnic groups, only had two paths to choose from.
Peace through marriage and trade!
The practice of marriage alliances is easy to understand. When the Han Dynasty first established such an alliance, it fought the Xiongnu and suffered a crushing defeat. As a result, they had no choice but to send money, supplies, and even marry women to the Xiongnu.
This was a humiliating practice.
The essence of trade relations, on the other hand, is that when you can defeat the other side, it's cheaper to make them obediently trade with you, thus preventing rebellion.
The essence of this approach is profit, and this has been true throughout history. Profit is key; without profit, all talk and reasoning are useless.
"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts." When someone discovers that the cost of robbing you is extremely low, no matter how much respect or admiration they have for you, they will still do it!
Don't blame your brother for being inhuman; blame your sister-in-law for being too charming!
Therefore, Lu Ming's current mission is to directly attack Yue Song County, specifically targeting the most rebellious Gao Ding.
During the years when Yizhou was without a leader, Gao Ding frequently invaded its heartland. Now that Lu Ming had taken over Yizhou, he showed no intention of recruiting them.
The reason was simple: these mountain bandits wouldn't consider surrendering or submitting unless they were beaten into submission. Therefore, war was necessary!
In the central command tent, Lu Ming looked at the map. This time, he had brought Li Kui, Li Hui, Hua Rong, and Zhang Ren.
Wei Yan was sent to Jiangyou County, appointed as its prefect, responsible for recuperation, bridge repair, and road maintenance.
From Jiangyou, they could begin searching for routes to Jingzhou.
Wei Yan came from Jingzhou, and this was a chance to return to his hometown. He was also familiar with the terrain of Jingzhou, making him the most suitable person for pre-battle preparations.
As for Li Kui and Hua Rong, they were Liangshan heroes who had joined his cause.
Lu Ming then recruited them, with Hua Rong as an archer and Li Kui as a bodyguard.
Li Hui was a native of Yizhou, belonging to the group of people who had been suppressed, so Lu Ming promoted him.
This man was capable, skilled in both literature and martial arts. While not outstanding, he was sufficient for the limited territory of Yizhou.
Zhang Ren, however, was a much more interesting case.
He was Zhao Yun's senior apprentice, so when Zhao Yun wrote to him, he was already wavering.
Unlike historical figures who fought to the death, Liu Yan hadn't even entered Yizhou, let alone his son Liu Zhang.
Zhang Ren was also a man who valued hierarchy. When he learned that the visitor was the Prince of Qin, and carrying the seal of the Governor of Yizhou, he had no reason to resist and surrendered without hesitation.
"King Gao Ding, knowing my army has arrived, is still indulging in pleasure. Hmph, a death wish.
Zhang Ren, tomorrow you will lead five thousand men into battle, break their formation, storm their camp, wreak havoc, and slaughter them all, except those who surrender.
Li Kui, you will go into battle with me, show your might!
Hua Rong, you are responsible for leading the Divine Arrow Battalion to shoot down those officers on the high ground, throwing their command into chaos.
May I wish you all good luck?"
Lu Ming assigned tasks to the three men in one breath.
"Your humble servant obeys!"
"Your humble servant will do his best!"
"Me too!"
Only the rough and uncultured Li Kui could say such a thing.
Lu Ming looked at the map, then at Li Hui, and said, "The flank of the army is yours. Don't let those people from Yizhou Commandery come to reinforce us. Even if they do, remember who they are; we'll settle accounts with them later!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Li Hui clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"Alright, you may all leave. Prepare well. I wish you a resounding victory."
Lu Ming didn't actively lead the troops into battle. He always did everything himself, leaving his generals with no role.
Delegating authority when necessary allowed him to be relaxed and at ease.
Moreover, his goal remained focused on finding Zhu Rong.
He had already learned that Meng Huo was a powerful clan from the neighboring Yizhou Commandery, and these recurring uprisings were all Yi kings from the south.
Furthermore, these Yi kings outwardly obeyed but inwardly resentful, frequently plotting and annexing each other.
What he did was directly target the Yi kings of the various mountain strongholds for exploitation, emptying their dwellings and destroying their original organizational structure.
This structure itself was extremely backward. For ordinary Yi people, it was probably better to farm and cultivate crops with large Han Chinese families than to fight and kill alongside the mountain kings.
What was then considered "exploitation" was, in retrospect, the beginning of progress in productivity.
Moreover, they didn't want to progress and develop; they were content to eat and sleep without much work. What would happen when advanced production methods arrived, forcing them to farm and work in factories?
The answer is simple: because of their backward production methods, a life of simply eating and sleeping was impossible.
At that time, the small tribes relied on raiding other tribes and Han people from the foot of the mountains for survival. How much food could they obtain through hunting and gathering? Without oversight, the small tribes dared not descend the mountains to cultivate crops in the plains. The indefensible plains became others' granaries, forcing them to remain huddled on the mountaintops.
The benefits all went to the large tribes and Yi kings; the small tribes had no way to survive. This was the reality. Therefore, the strategy is guaranteed to succeed; all that's needed is to eliminate the various rebellious tribal kings.
The common people below are basically opportunistic; all talk of righteousness and justification is meaningless. As long as they can fill their stomachs, they'll listen to whoever provides the best.
This isn't a problem for Lu Ming. Given the situation in the south, land reclamation will inevitably lead to a surge in grain production; the only challenge is having troops to protect the land and prevent looting.