My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 547 Sudden Change
Just as the Han army and the Lin family and other chieftains were plotting to wipe out the Xi family, Xi Ming also rushed back to the mountain stronghold.

Mount Ichimachi is located at the border of Zangke County and Yizhou County, with the main mountain range within Yizhou County.

The reason why Lu Xun tried every means to sow discord between the Xi family, the Lin family, and a group of minor chieftains was to divide and conquer them.

The terrain here can be described as being surrounded by mountains, with mountains beyond mountains.

In these mountains, how difficult would it be to wipe out the local natives?
The Han army's annihilation of the Long family was due to two factors: firstly, the Long family's initiative in provoking them, and secondly, the swift and decisive nature of the attack, which left the Long family with no time to seek external assistance, and the local inhabitants also lacked sufficient time to band together.

By the time the local natives realized what was happening, the Long family had already been annihilated by Lu Xun with swift and decisive action.

The local inhabitants, overwhelmed by the Han army's formidable strength, had no choice but to submit.

If the Han army continued to attack the Xi family at this time, it would undoubtedly arouse the vigilance of the local indigenous forces, who would instinctively suspect that the Han army was going to wipe out the local forces in one fell swoop.

Once they get that idea and join in, the situation could take a sharp turn for the worse.

It wasn't that the Han army was afraid of these local barbarian soldiers, but rather that they couldn't withstand their antics.

Even if these people outnumbered the Han army tenfold, they would still be no match for them. The problem is that unless you can annihilate them in one battle, the Han army will be in immediate trouble if these people go into the mountains.

At that point, neither advancing nor retreating would be an option, and the biggest problem would be that the logistical supply lines would become insecure.

It was for this reason that Lu Xun secretly plotted and sowed discord, all in order to get the local natives to support him in eliminating the Xi family.

Lu Xun's bottom line was only Longxiakou Village and Xinting Mountain Village. Other villages, farmland, and people were not necessities. It would be best if he could get them, but if he couldn't, he could trade them as bargaining chips without losing out.

After all, what Lu Xun urgently needed right now was grain, and he wanted land for its output, not for the land itself. If he had the means, Lu Xun would prefer to exchange land for grain directly.

Lu Xun had originally agreed with Lin Guang and others to launch an attack five days later.

It wasn't that Lu Xun wasn't in a hurry, but the fact that a chieftain like the Lin family could gather troops, equip them with weapons, provisions, and supplies within five days, and then follow up with the expedition was already quite proactive.

Given the speed of the Han army, the decision made yesterday can be made and they can set off today.

Fortunately, Lu Xun was not in a hurry for the time being; he had already sent people back to gather reinforcements.

Once they crossed the Xiding Mountain, the Han army officially entered Yizhou Commandery. Yizhou Commandery was much smaller than Zangke Commandery, only one-fifth the size of the latter, but its population was several times larger, with more than 200,000 registered residents alone.

The grain output was also much higher than that of Zangke County. Most importantly, Yizhou County itself was not large and had many rivers running through it, so the cost of transportation and dispatch was much lower than that of Zangke County.

Although Yizhou Commandery was much smaller than Zangke Commandery, it held a higher position within the Yizhou system.

The reason is very simple: Yizhou Commandery can provide positive feedback to Yizhou Prefecture, while Zangke Commandery can provide negative feedback.

Yizhou Commandery could contribute several times, even ten times, more taxes and grain to the Yizhou Prefecture each year than Zangke Commandery. In contrast, Zangke Commandery's tax revenue was extremely low, and it often faced rebellions from the Baiyue people and powerful clans. All things considered, it was a huge loss.

Lu Xun's current composure is not because he is not in a hurry, nor is it a deliberate delay, but rather a stage of accumulating strength for a future breakthrough.

After entering Yizhou County, a major battle is inevitable.

Yong Kai, the governor of Yizhou, would certainly not accept the entry of the Han army. Although he did not submit to Liu Zhang's control, he also could not accept Liu Feng. The root cause was that he was too ambitious.

Yong Kai's goal was to achieve independence and even expand outwards.

This attitude is fundamentally in conflict with Liu Feng's interests, and the contradictions between the two sides are completely irreconcilable; war is the only solution.

Yong Kai was not the same as Zhu Bao. Not only was the strength of Yizhou Commandery far greater than that of Zangke Commandery, but Yong Kai himself was also the most powerful clan in Yizhou Commandery, and he was not on the same level as Zhu Bao at all.

Zhu Bao had at most a thousand or so troops, but Yong Kai had five thousand, five times that of Zhu Bao. This doesn't even include the local armed forces and Baiyue barbarian soldiers that Yong Kai could mobilize.

Zhu Bao was a shield pushed out by the powerful clans of Zangke Commandery. He had little power to restrain them. Not only could he not mobilize their retainers, but he also had to worry that they might stab him in the back and use his head to curry favor with the Eastern Han court.

Yong Kai, however, had considerable influence over the powerful clans and gentry in Yizhou County. When necessary, he could mobilize an army of more than 10,000 men. If you include Meng Huo and the Baiyue armed forces who were his allies, the total number of men would easily exceed 20,000.

Even though these people's weapons and armor wouldn't be very good, the sheer number of 20,000 is still quite frightening.

Lu Xun only had two thousand men under his command, and he would inevitably have to divide his forces between the two strategic passes of Longxia Pass and Xinding Mountain Village.

Therefore, requesting reinforcements from the rear is imperative.

This was something that was planned from the beginning.

Lu Xun did not expect that on the very next day, Xi Ming's elder brother, Xi Zhen, would rush over overnight.

Upon hearing Xu Ping's report, Lu Xun initially did not want to see him, but then he thought that the Xi family was probably still dreaming of making a fortune every day. If he directly broke off relations, it would not have the effect of lulling the other party into a false sense of security.

Therefore, Lu Xun changed his mind and sent Xu Ping to personally welcome Xizhen, while he changed his clothes and went up to the hall, and ordered a banquet to be prepared.

Before long, Xizhen was brought up.

Lu Xun forced a smile and was about to speak to appease the other party when Xi Zhen suddenly knelt down on the spot, repeatedly saying to Lu Xun, "General, you are wise. My Xi family is loyal to the Han Dynasty and has no other intentions. We respect you as a god. If you have any orders, my Xi family will obey them with all our might."

Even with Lu Xun's wisdom and strategy, he was still confused by the washing town. His heart sank. Could it be that the news had been leaked?

But then he realized something was wrong. If the news had really leaked, would Xizhen have the audacity to come and perform in front of him?

Shouldn't he have gathered his men, mobilized the strongest, and defended the camp to the death?
Lu Xun suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked in a gentle tone, "I know that the Xi family is loyal to the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, I would not have entrusted all the military trade to your family."

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhen's body trembled involuntarily.

Despite his burly physique, fierce appearance, and seemingly reckless and impulsive demeanor, Xi Zhen is actually the most shrewd person in the Xi family.

Last night, after Xi Ming returned home, he recounted what had happened, nearly scaring Xi Zhen to death. In particular, Xi Ming smugly described in detail how he monopolized the military trade and had dismissed Lin Guang and the others. Xi Zhen wanted nothing more than to strangle his younger brother.

If he had known this fool would act this way, he would have preferred to risk going to the meeting himself.

After hearing everything Xi Ming had to say, Xi Zhen felt that the Xi family was doomed. Given the Han army's ability to breach the Longxia Pass stronghold in half an hour, how long could the stronghold in the Liding Mountains hold out?
Their own strength is not as good as the Long family's. Even if they have time to prepare, they can only gather seven or eight hundred people to guard the village at most. Among them, the elite of the Long family's barbarian soldiers can only be about four hundred. How long can they hold out?

If his brothers hadn't been so foolish as to share the cake with the Lin family and other minor chieftains, he would still have had the option of escaping into the mountains and waging guerrilla warfare.

But now, even a fool could tell that the Lin family and the other minor chieftains had sided with the Han army. If they abandoned their camp and went into the mountains, even with the Lin family and the other minor chieftains leading the way and helping them, they would have no chance of survival.

These people were local bullies; they could hide somewhere and deceive the Han army, but they could never deceive the Lin family and the other minor chieftains.

In the end, he would only die a few days later.

Whether they defend or flee, they'll both die. Xi Zhen really wanted to slap his stupid brother, who had dragged his family into this mess, to death.

After much deliberation, Xi Zhen could only come up with one way to survive: surrender.

Xi Zhen knew very well that this method was very risky, tantamount to handing over the lives and fortunes of his entire clan to Lu Xun.

If Lu Xun insisted on wiping out the Xi family, they would have no choice but to await their doom, unable even to offer a token resistance. But this was also the only way they had a glimmer of hope.

As soon as it was light, Xizhen set off from Xiting Mountain and headed towards Longxiakou Village.

In fact, Xi Zhen's guess was quite accurate. The Lin family and a group of minor chieftains almost hated the Xi family to the core and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. Even the minor chieftains who used to obey the Xi family did not inform them.

Seeing that Lu Xun was still pretending to be stupid, Xi Zhen touched his forehead to the ground, gritted his teeth and said, "General, I dare to ask what you want from my family? If you have any orders, I, Xi Zhen, will definitely offer them to you without hesitation."

Lu Xun narrowed his eyes. Xi Zhen had put it this way, so it seemed that the other party obviously knew something.

After Xi Zhen finished speaking, he pressed his head firmly to the ground, not daring to raise his head for a long time. Lu Xun, on the other hand, looked at Xi Zhen below without saying a word.

For a moment, the hall was silent.

After a full cup of tea's time, Lu Xun slowly spoke: "Two conditions. The first is to tell me who leaked the secret, and the second is that I want the large stronghold of Xiting Mountain."

Lu Xun was telling the truth. In his opinion, since Xi Zhen already knew, he would no longer hide it.

Even if we launch a strong attack on the mere Xijia, what can we do? The Han army has never been afraid of the Xijia holding their camp, but rather that they would escape into the mountains.

As long as the Lin family doesn't turn against us, the situation won't get too bad.

If, on the other hand, the Xi family is truly willing to hand over even the large stronghold of Xicheng Mountain, then it's not impossible to let them off the hook.

Looking at Xi Zhen's mind, he can be considered a talent. When the time comes, let him lead the barbarian soldiers to serve at the front, and the Xi family will be under my control. With the Xi family as a check and balance, the Lin family will not be able to dominate, which will be more beneficial to the Han army.

However, Lu Xun still needed to hear Xizhen's answer before deciding what to do.

No one else told him.

Xi Zhen's voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating his extreme fear, yet he still mustered the courage to answer, "Yes, it was my own guess."

"oh!?"

Lu Xun was both skeptical and surprised: "How did you guess that?"

Xi Zhen replied in a muffled voice, "General, you swept away the Long family with unstoppable force. My Xi family is even inferior to the Long family. What virtue or ability do we have to deserve such favor from the General and to monopolize the profits from military trade? If these profits were small, it would be fine, but this is clearly a fortune made every day. Such immense wealth, if we rashly take it all for ourselves, will only lead to our Xi family being isolated and even antagonized by other tribes."

"The general's actions suggest he intends to put my family to death."

As Xi Zhen spoke, he repeatedly said, "My Xi family is willing to die for the general, we only beg the general to show mercy and spare the lives of my whole family."

Lu Xun became interested. Although the plan to exterminate the Xi family was a spur-of-the-moment decision, orchestrated by opportunism, it was not a simple scheme. In particular, it exploited human greed and resentment over unfair distribution of spoils, and Lin Guang, Xi Ming, and others were already deeply entangled in it and unable to extricate themselves.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly uncouth town actually saw through his plan and had the knowledge and courage to come knocking on his door.

With Lu Xun's wisdom, it's not hard to see that this is one of the only two ways for the Xi family to survive.

Another way to survive was for the whole family to abandon their home and flee to the northern part of Zangke County to seek refuge with Zhu Bao.

However, this path to survival is actually a false one. It is more than a thousand miles away from the northern part of Zangke County. The road is treacherous and fraught with danger. Not to mention anything else, the wild beasts, tribes, and natural disasters along the way are enough to wipe out the entire Xi family.

Xi Zhen was able to see through his scheme, understand the situation, and had the courage to run up to him and beg for a last chance to survive.

This is a real talent.

Lu Xun laughed. In fact, from a self-interested perspective, keeping Xi Jia alive would be more beneficial to the Han army.

Firstly, it can restrain the Lin family and divide their power; secondly, it can provide more military rations, as the Xi family's fields can continue to produce grain for the army; and thirdly, it can effectively mobilize the young and strong men of the Xi family, who, even if they are not fit for battle, can be used as laborers.

Keep in mind that Lu Xun's location was nearly three thousand miles away from Jiaozhou, the starting point. Even if the local prices were ten times higher than in Jiaozhou, he would still be making a killing.

After a moment's thought, Lu Xun changed his attitude.

However, whether Xizhen and the Xi family can truly escape disaster depends on their current decisions and future actions.

If Xizhen is unwilling to give up the main stronghold of Xiting Mountain, then Lu Xun will not be merciful and will not raise a tiger to cause trouble.

"Since you are so sincere, I will give you a chance."

Lu Xun pondered for a long while before finally speaking.

Upon hearing Lu Xun's agreement, Xi Zhen was almost overjoyed and wept. He quickly kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your magnanimity, General. I have no objection."

"Don't make any promises too soon."

Lu Xun waved his hand, then stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point: "I want your main stronghold at Xinting Mountain. Will you give it to me or not?"

(End of this chapter)