My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 548 Arrangement and Accumulation
Upon hearing Lu Xun's request, Xi Zhen's heart sank.

Fortunately, Xi Zhen had already guessed some of the reasoning before arriving. Therefore, after only a moment's hesitation, he raised his head and looked Lu Xun in the eye for the first time, replying firmly, "Give it to me! General, whatever you need, let alone a single village in Xiding Mountain, even if it means the ruin of my entire Xi family, I, Xi Zhen, will serve you without hesitation. These words come from the bottom of my heart. If there is even a single lie, may the mountain god despise me and may I die without a burial place!"

Xi Zhen's words were sincere and heartfelt. Looking up at Lu Xun was not out of disrespect, but to let Lu Xun feel his true feelings.

Even though Lu Xun looked down on the Baiyue barbarians, he was moved by their decisiveness and sincerity.

"it is good!"

Lu Xun immediately stood up, walked to Xi Zhen's side and helped him up: "Well said. However, as long as you sincerely serve General Zuo, you will not only not die without a burial place, but will also enjoy endless wealth and honor. If you can also make military achievements, it is not impossible for you to be ennobled as a marquis."

After receiving comfort from Lu Xun, Xi Zhen felt much better.

After all, the main stronghold of Xicheng Mountain is the foundation that the Xi family has built up over many years. Moreover, it is a strategic pass. Even though there are not many caravans passing through, they can still collect a lot of commercial taxes that are relatively high for the Xi family. This is a benefit that they get for free.

If we were to hand it over, it would be like cutting flesh from our own chest.

But in order to survive, Xizhen gritted his teeth and kept going.

However, Xizhen soon felt much better because Lu Xun actually gave him a great benefit.

“I have observed that Lord Xi is quite brave and strong. I wonder if he has any intention of joining the army? If Lord Xi is willing to serve my lord, I can recommend him to be a separate commander, leading his own division.”

When Xi Zhen first heard Lu Xun's words, he almost doubted his own ears.

Lu Xun actually offered him the position of a separate commander.

Military positions in the Eastern Han Dynasty remained consistently strong, and there were very few positions for appeasement or control over ethnic minorities. Even after the Xiongnu surrendered and migrated inland, the Protector-General of the Xiongnu was always a Han Chinese, a position equivalent to that of the Supreme Chanyu (ruler of the Xiongnu).

During the reign of Emperor Ling, Xia Yu led a northern expedition against the Xianbei, which involved an army of over 30,000 men, along with attached Xiongnu and Wuhuan cavalry.

The commander-in-chief, Xia Yu, was a colonel, and his deputies were a temporarily appointed general to break through the Xianbei and a general to defeat the Xiongnu.

This demonstrates the prestige of the Colonel in the Han Dynasty. The Separate Commander (别部司马) was a military commander with independent command authority, although the extent of his power was closely related to the number, elite status, and equipment of his troops. However, it is undeniable that this rank was indeed that of a military commander.

Above the Military Commander is the Colonel. The Military Commander often appears as the Colonel's deputy or as a commander of a unit of a thousand men. He is a true mid-to-high-ranking military officer.

Given Xizhen's background and influence, if there were no other considerations, giving him a garrison commander position would already be quite generous; even a military commander position would be an exceptional promotion.

After all, given the Han army's combat strength, in a direct confrontation, a garrison of a hundred men could easily break through the Xi family's four hundred able-bodied men.

Lu Xun has now directly given him the military rank of a separate commander. Even considering the compensation from the large stronghold at Xicheng Mountain, this is an exceptionally unusual move.

For the natives of Xizhen in the southwest, the position of Biebu Sima was a prestigious post that they would never dare to dream of.

Xi Zhen's worries vanished, replaced by overwhelming gratitude. He bowed deeply to Lu Xun once more, shouting, "I am but a humble commoner, a nobody in the countryside, with no particular talent. I am deeply unworthy of such kindness from the General. I will serve you with my life, even at the cost of my life!"

Lu Xun smiled with satisfaction.

That afternoon, Lu Xun dispatched Xianyu Dan with 800 elite troops to join Xizhen in taking over the defense of Xiting Mountain.

The entire family, young and old, will first be dispersed to other small villages.

These small villages are actually equivalent to villages in the Central Plains, but they are much smaller in scale. A village may have three or four hundred people, or as few as a hundred or so.

In such a rush, it would be difficult to truly settle the people of the Xi family's main village. But compared to the extermination of their entire clan, what did it matter if they had to sleep on the ground?

The town was cleaned up quickly; in just three days, the main village was cleared out and handed over to Xianyu Dan.

Most of the Xi family members strongly opposed Xi Zhen's actions. However, Xi Zhen did not hesitate to use his own younger brother, Xi Ming, as a scapegoat, giving him a severe beating that left him unable to walk.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun's appreciation for Xizhen grew even stronger.

Courageous, resourceful, visionary, and ruthless, this python unexpectedly emerged from the wilderness.

Lu Xun immediately ordered the use of the blank document given to him by Liu Feng, recommending Xi Zhen as the commander of a separate unit, and requesting that the Xi family provide 300 men, the Lin family 300 men, the Long family provide 300 captured men, and the other minor chieftains provide a total of 200 men, for a total of 1,100 men, to be organized into a separate unit, with Xi Zhen as the military commander and Lin Guang and Manlong (minor chieftains with considerable strength) as the military commanders to lead this unit.

Lu Xun's move was a decisive blow. On one hand, he used Han troops to garrison the two key strongholds at Longxia Pass and Xinding Mountain, while simultaneously mobilizing and stockpiling grain and supplies. On the other hand, he mobilized all the strong and capable warriors of the local powerful clans and native tribes, and transferred them to Han army officers for training.

As a result, the local strongmen and natives were militarily weak, and not only could they not threaten the Han troops guarding the two large camps, they also had to rely on the Han troops to protect their safety. Their elite troops were used by the Han troops to undertake tasks such as leading the way and labor, and could be put into battle when necessary.

Lu Xun's move was an open scheme, not only offering up the positions of a military commander, two military officers, and several garrison commanders, but also the huge profits from military trade.

Without Xi Ming's "monopoly," the profits from the military trade were distributed equally among the local natives. The Xi family received 30%, the Lin family also received 30%, and of the remaining 40%, Manlong received 10%, while the remaining minor chieftains split the remaining 30% equally.

With both political prospects and substantial economic benefits, even though the local powerful clans were quite dissatisfied with Lu Xun's large-scale mobilization of manpower, it was enough to appease and quell their discontent.

On the same day that Lu Xun finished his conversation in Tongxi Town, he sent people back to Jiaozhou.

Although it took Lu Xun and his group a full month to get here, their return journey was much faster.

There are two reasons. First, a small group of people traveling is different from a large group of people traveling. The former can even travel 600 to 800 li a day in plains areas.

The second point is the relationship between going with the current and going against it. Lu Xun and his troops went upstream along the Wen River, and it was late autumn with a northwest wind blowing, which meant they were going against the wind.

However, the envoy's return journey was smooth sailing. He traveled down the Wen River in a small boat with a simple entourage, and arrived at Guangxin County, the capital of Jiaozhou, in just six days.

This may seem exaggerated, but it is not actually surprising. This is because the warm water flows gently in winter. If you travel downstream along the Yangtze River and the wind is favorable, you can travel a thousand miles to Jiangling in a single day.

After disembarking in Guangxin, the envoy had no time to rest. He found a horse at the dock and headed straight for the prefectural capital.

Upon arriving at the prefectural capital, the envoy produced an urgent dispatch token, and the guards at the gate immediately allowed him to pass. Armored soldiers then escorted him to the back courtyard.

Upon arriving at the backyard gate, they sent someone to the inner hall to inform Kuai Yue in advance, while quickly and carefully examining the envoy's body and clothing to ensure there were no hidden weapons before letting him into the backyard.

This messenger was a member of the Lu family, named Lu Xu, and was currently serving as a clerk in Lu Xun's army.

Upon entering the hall and seeing Kuai Yue, Lu Xu immediately bowed deeply in worship.

This renowned scholar from Jingzhou was deeply trusted by Liu Feng, who even entrusted Jiaozhou to him. The Kuai family, a prominent clan in Jingzhou, surprisingly rose in rank during the transition between the two Liu families, going from Liu Biao's confidant to Liu Feng's. This alone made all the other prominent clans in the land extremely envious.

It should be understood that in such a process of transition, even the most powerful nations might not be able to protect themselves.

Bian Rang was a renowned scholar and the most outstanding man in Yanzhou. However, during Cao Cao's conquest of Yanzhou, the entire Bian family was wiped out, and even the children were not spared.

The Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families were prominent clans in Jiangdong, and the four major surnames of Wu County.

However, during the process of the Sun family taking control of Jiangdong, Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang suffered many losses, especially the Lu family. If it weren't for Lu Xun being favored by the brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan and bowing down in time, they would have almost been forced to surrender.

Yu Ji was famous throughout Jiangdong, and his reputation in Yangzhou was almost at its peak, but what was the result?

Even Wu Guotai's remonstrance couldn't save Yu Ji's life; after his death, his head was hung on the city tower as a warning to others.

This is the brutal scene of warlords fighting for territory and the transfer of power at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Otherwise, why would renowned families like Xun, Chen, Guo, Han, and Zhong have diversified their investments and sent their members to serve under different warlords? Wasn't it all so that they could have the right to speak favorably of their clansmen and save their lives in critical moments?
It is extremely rare for the Kuai family to go from being Liu Biao's confidants to becoming Liu Feng's staunch supporters.

This required not only the Kuai family's exceptional abilities, but also the cooperation of their two lords, Liu Biao and Liu Feng, with the latter being the most crucial factor.

Therefore, even though his cousin Lu Xun was highly valued by Liu Feng, and his uncle Lu Ji was by Liu Feng's side, they still treated Kuai Yue with great respect. Despite being extremely tired, they dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Kuai Yue waved his hand, signaling everyone to get up.

After everyone took their seats, hot soup was immediately served.

"Please rest for a while, and let me finish reading the documents first."

Kuai Yue said soothingly, "I have already ordered someone to prepare a meal for you. You can eat later."

They hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Kuai Yue then opened the document and began to read it carefully.

Although Lu Xun and Kuai Yue were more than 3,000 miles apart along the way, their contact was not severed. On the one hand, Lu Xun sent someone back to Jiaozhou every five days to report the latest situation to Kuai Yue. On the other hand, the supply fleet returned to Jiaozhou empty, bringing back a lot of intelligence.

This was not limited to Lu Xun's troops; Lu Meng, Lu Dai, Liao Hua, and Wen Ping also followed the same procedure.

Therefore, although Kuai Yue didn't know the situation at the front line in detail, he still had a general understanding of it.

However, the documents Lu Xun sent back this time contained a lot of information and involved many key matters. Kuai Yue not only read them very carefully, but also very slowly.

After a cup of tea, several footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a few burly men in iron armor walked in.

The three people who arrived were Sun Ce, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan.

Sun Ce has already been promoted to General of the Household, and Huang Zhong was already a General of the Household under Liu Biao. Only Wei Yan has just been promoted to Colonel. Moreover, Sun Ce and Huang Zhong are far superior to Wei Yan in terms of ability, seniority, and military achievements.

Therefore, even with Wei Yan's pride and arrogance, he remained very low-key in front of Sun Ce and Huang Zhong.

After the three entered the hall, they saw that Kuai Yue was still looking through documents. The three of them simultaneously lowered their movements and carefully took their seats.

After another cup of tea's time, Kuai Yue finished reading the document and made up his mind.

As soon as Kuai Yue raised his head, Sun Ce and the other two immediately bowed in respect.

"There's no need for such formalities, Generals."

Kuai Yue picked up the document in his hand, recounted the events described therein, and finally asked, "Lu Boyan is asking me for troops. What do you all think?"

Wei Yan held the lowest military rank, Huang Zhong had less seniority and was older, while Sun Ce, although also a surrendered general, was the first to surrender to Liu Feng, and he brought with him a prefecture, several thousand remaining soldiers, and his entire family.

Although it was done under duress at the time, the contribution was still significant.

Given his outstanding personality, it's not surprising that he was the first to speak.

"General, in my opinion, what Boyan said is feasible!"

Sun Ce, with an air of self-assurance, said, "This humble general humbly requests to go and aid Lu Boyan, and will surely help the general and lord capture Yizhou County."

Lu Xun's document does not focus on the Zangke Commandery, but rather on the Yizhou Commandery.

Lu Xun sent back all the information he had gathered about Yizhou Commandery and made it clear that the main task for the next stage was to take over Yizhou Commandery and its counties.

This is a crucial task; success would allow us to look north to the Chengdu Plain, while failure would mean we wouldn't even be able to hold our ground in the southern part of Zangke, and all our previous efforts would be in vain.

Therefore, Lu Xun requested Kuai Yue to give him at least three thousand soldiers, two thousand of whom should be the main force and the other one thousand as garrison troops.

Lu Xun planned to use 500 men to defend Longxia Pass and Xinding Mountain, and then use 4,000 elite field troops, along with 500 garrison soldiers and 1,100 Zangke Baiyue soldiers, to invade Yizhou County. With 4,000 elite field troops at his disposal, Lu Xun was confident that he could take over the entire Yizhou County within a year.

Sun Ce was very optimistic about Lu Xun's plan and volunteered to make this contribution.

Of course, Sun Ce's ambitions extended beyond just capturing Yizhou Commandery. Once Yizhou Commandery was taken, it would become the best base for advancing. Compared to Zangke Commandery, Yizhou Commandery not only had a larger population, more grain, and a better economy, but also had rivers that flowed directly into the Chengdu Plain.

Once the Han army successfully captures Yizhou Commandery, it can stockpile large quantities of grain, weapons, arrows, medicines, cloth, and other war supplies there, and then transport them by waterway to the Chengdu Plain.

It is conceivable that the troops that capture Yizhou County will be the vanguard in the conquest of the Chengdu Plain, and will likely reap the greatest rewards in this war against Shu, enjoying the richest and most lucrative spoils.

This is the real reason why Sun Ce was eager to try and actively sought battle.

Kuai Yue neither agreed nor disagreed with Sun Ce's offer to volunteer, but simply smiled gently and said, "Uncle's bravery is no less than your father's. Please be patient."

Then, Kuai Yue looked at Huang Zhong and asked, "Hansheng, what's your opinion?"

(End of this chapter)