My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 555 Intensive Training and Deployment
"What!? Yu Yuan is missing!?"

Yong Kai jumped up suddenly, his rough face full of disbelief, his voice sharp like a woman's.

Yong Kai was a tall and strong man, standing eight feet tall. He was extremely robust, with a thick beard like steel needles standing upright under his chin, an open chest, and extremely thick black body hair, displaying the demeanor of a powerful Baiyue leader.

This man was ruthless and vicious, a mass murderer. He single-handedly brought the Yong family to the position of the most powerful family in Yizhou County, so he was quite capable.

After taking control of Dianchi Lake, he divided his troops into four groups, stationing five hundred elite soldiers in each of the four counties of Yuyuan, Wudan, Jianling, and Guchang as a defensive measure. Meanwhile, there were six thousand elite troops in Dianchi City, ready to provide support to the surrounding areas at any time.

Of the four cities of Yuyuan, Wudan, Jianling, and Guchang, Guchang, the furthest is only two days' journey away, and can be reached in a day by marching at full speed. The city is well-organized.

Earlier, a report came from the city wall that smoke signals were rising from the direction of Yu Yuan.

Yong Kai immediately mustered 3,000 troops, with his younger brother Yong Lü as the commander, and went to provide support.

But to everyone's surprise, after a day's journey, Yong Lü returned empty-handed, bringing back news that Yu Yuan had been lost.

"Brother, the enemy is using Chinese characters on their military flags. The flag of the leading general is the character 'Wei'. I don't know where they came from. Their soldiers are elite and their weapons are complete. They are quite intimidating."

Yong Lü explained, "I was worried that the enemy would launch a night attack on our army while we were still establishing a firm foothold, so I decided to lead my troops back."

Yong Kai nodded. He trusted his own brother. Besides, retreating at this time might not be a bad strategy. He only had 6,000 men at his disposal. If Yong Lü suffered a defeat, the trouble would be even greater.

Yong Kai got up and paced around the hall, his face turning pale and then red.

Yonglu sat below, holding his breath and waiting for his elder brother to make a decision.

After a long pause, Yong Lü spoke up: "Send someone to contact the various tribes in the mountains as soon as possible, and ask them to send out all their men. I am willing to pay them with grain, one shi of grain for each soldier, and provide them with food and drink."

Upon hearing this, Yonglu was immediately taken aback: "Elder brother, you mean...?"

Yong Kai nodded, interrupting the other party: "Tell all the tribes in the mountains that the day to gather troops will be in three days. If it is late, I will not accept it."

"Here!"

Yong Lü hurriedly replied, "I will go and make the arrangements right away."

"Ah."

Yong Kai nodded, watching his younger brother leave, still calculating in his mind how many troops he could gather. In his haste, he could only gather the Baiyue tribesmen from the mountains surrounding Dianchi Lake, estimating that he could only gather a maximum of one or two thousand men.

Unfortunately, time was short, and we couldn't exert our full strength; otherwise, we could have gathered at least ten thousand men. But there was nothing we could do about it. Time was of the essence, Yu Yuan was lost, and the enemy's situation was unclear. The priority was to recapture it as soon as possible.

Soon, Yonglu's messengers rushed into the mountains to meet with the leaders and powerful clans of various tribes and to recruit troops.

Early the next morning, soldiers from the Baiyue tribes emerged from the mountains and gathered at the foot of Dianchi City.

The Yong family kept their word and set up camp outside Dianchi City early on, preparing food and supplies. By nightfall, they had gathered more than 1,400 soldiers from 23 tribes of the Baiyue tribe.

The reason why each tribe averaged only fifty people and the number of tribes exceeded twenty was mainly because these tribes were close to the Dianchi Plain. Historically, the Han governors had the intention to divide and separate them, integrate and support small tribes, restrict the divided tribes, suppress and expel large tribes, and encourage ethnic integration. This was the consistent policy of Yizhou Prefecture, all for the sake of the peace of the Dianchi Plain.

After all, Dianchi Lake is ripe, and Yizhou is bountiful.

The grain output of Dianchi Lake accounted for more than half of the grain output of the Han people in Yizhou Prefecture.

On the morning of the third day, Yong Kai mustered 5,000 troops, joined forces with more than 1,500 Baiyue tribe soldiers, and marched south. By evening, they had already arrived eight miles northwest of Yuyuan City.

Yong Kai set up camp on the hills and led dozens of his personal guards up a high slope to overlook the county town of Yuyuan.

Yonglu stood beside his elder brother, his brows furrowed: "Elder brother, although there are not many people on the other side, they are well-equipped with weapons, and their swords and arrows are sharp. I'm afraid our men will suffer losses."

Yong Kai was annoyed. Did he need to say that? Did he not have eyes?
What he wants is a solution.

"How about we let the southern barbarians go first?"

The Yong family is of pure Han Chinese descent, but at the same time, the Yong family is also thoroughly Baiyue assimilated. Yong Kai's ancestors were descendants of Yong Chi, the Marquis of Shifang in the Western Han Dynasty.

Yong Chi was from Pei County and was originally a powerful clan in Pei County. He was entrusted with important responsibilities by Liu Bang, who even handed over Feng County to him for administration. He can be considered the first "regional governor" under Liu Bang.

However, Yong Chi betrayed Liu Bang's trust by transferring Feng County to the State of Wei, thus putting Liu Bang in a difficult situation.

Later, when Liu Bang was preparing to bestow generous rewards upon his meritorious officials after gaining the throne, Zhang Liang advised Liu Bang to use Yong Chi as a bottom line to reassure the officials.

In 201 BC, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Shifang by Liu Bang. His family began to thrive in Yizhou and became a powerful clan in the area, cultivating the Yizhou region for four hundred years.

As the direct descendant of the Yong family, Yong Kai held great power in Yizhou County. Moreover, Yong Kai himself was deeply influenced by the local ethnic minorities. Historical records state that he was "well-known for his kindness and trustworthiness in the southern lands," and his clothing, food, housing, and transportation were largely influenced by the customs of the southern lands, clearly showing that he had become quite barbaric.

Ultimately, the Yong family was still a powerful Han Chinese clan, so it's not surprising that Yong Lü would utter such words as "southern barbarians."

At this time, "southern barbarians" was not a derogatory term used by northern ethnic minorities and Han people to refer to Han people south of the Yangtze River, but rather a derogatory term used by Han people to refer to the southern barbarians.

Yong Kai did not immediately reject his brother's idea, but instead frowned and pondered it.

He certainly didn't mind using the southern barbarians as cannon fodder, but Yong Kai thought a step further than his brother, worrying that the southern barbarians would not only fail to serve as cannon fodder, but would also negatively impact his own formation, which would be a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.

After thinking for a long time, Yong Kai made up his mind and returned to the main camp with his younger brother Yong Lü.

Before long, Yong Kai gathered together the leaders of more than twenty tribes.

Before the chieftains and young nobles could ask any questions, Yong Kai kicked open a box in the tent, scattering the copper coins inside all over the ground.

Now everyone's eyes seemed to be ignited, and fiery gazes were fixed on the box.

Seeing this, Yong Kai smiled with satisfaction and said, "Tomorrow's decisive battle will require you all to lead the charge. I know that leading the charge is fraught with danger, and I cannot treat you all unfairly."

Yong Kai stood in front of the box, blocking the eager gazes, and continued amidst the somewhat disgruntled looks of the crowd: "In tomorrow's great battle, anyone who kills a Han soldier of the first rank will be rewarded with 500 coins, a squad leader with 1,000 coins, a platoon leader with 2,000 coins, a garrison commander with 10,000 coins, a troop commander with 20,000 coins, a military commander with 50,000 coins, and anyone who kills a Han soldier captain will be rewarded with 100,000 coins!"

With a bang, the Baiyue chieftains present were thrown into a pot of hot oil with cold water, and they immediately erupted in chaos.

Don't let their status as tribal chiefs and minor nobles fool you; they've never seen so much money in their lives. Normally, buying salt, cloth, and grain is the biggest transaction they've ever made, costing only a few hundred or a thousand coins.

A Baiyue warrior, clearly possessing some prestige, pressed on, "Is what you say true, Lord Yong?!"

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, although the Baiyue people in the southwest were very independent, they were only controlled and remotely managed by the Eastern Han government, and they maintained many Baiyue customs.

However, under the subtle influence of the powerful Han dynasty, the Baiyue people, like the Yue people of the mountains, were also strongly influenced by Han culture.

For example, in terms of titles, they would respectfully address a powerful and influential figure like Yong Kai as "Lord". Yong Kai's surname was Yong, so he was respectfully called Lord Yong.

The meaning of "君" here continues the respect for dukes, marquises, and elders in the Central Plains, and extends to mean "ruler" or "chief ruler," which is closer to the concept of a monarch.

"It's true."

Yong Kai replied decisively, "If gold, silver, or copper coins are insufficient, then grain will suffice."

"it is good!"

The Baiyue warrior clapped his hands together, a ferocious smile appearing on his ugly face: "King Yong is indeed heroic! We are willing to fight to the death for King Yong!"

The Baiyue people value profit over life, so Yong Kai lured them with benefits, hoping to get them to serve him to the death.

While Yong Kai was enticing the Baiyue people with bribes, Wei Yan was also mobilizing fishermen and Yong Mang's troops to join the war in Yuyuan City.

Yong Kai had long been based in Yizhou, and had established connections with many Baiyue chieftains over the years. Even so, he needed to offer incentives to gain the Baiyue's assistance. What other options did Wei Yan, a newcomer, have?
Wei Yan's strategy was still to use bribery, but compared to Yong Kai, the bribes he offered were even more tempting: fields on the Dianchi Plain.

"In tomorrow's battle, all those who are willing to fight alongside this general will be rewarded with one mu of land. Those who make meritorious contributions in battle will be rewarded according to the size of their merits. Killing an enemy rank will earn one mu of land; killing an enemy squad leader will earn five mu of land; killing an enemy platoon leader will earn ten mu of land; killing an enemy platoon leader will earn twenty mu of land; and killing an enemy chieftain will earn one hundred mu of land!"

Looking at the more than 1,600 surrendered soldiers before him, Wei Yan noticed their eyes growing increasingly fervent, and a satisfied smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "In this battle, you will be treated equally with the Han soldiers. The wounded will receive medical treatment, the disabled will be cared for, and the dead will be compensated. Those who are disabled will be rewarded with five mu of land, and those who die in battle will have their wives and children receive ten mu of land!"

"Is the general truly telling the truth?"

"General, are you truly willing to share the world with us?"

"General, we are willing..."

As soon as Wei Yan finished speaking, the previously obedient surrendered soldiers suddenly erupted into chaos, shouting at Wei Yan.

Faced with the questions from the crowd, Wei Yan solemnly guaranteed, "Heaven above, I, the general, am willing to swear an oath with you all that the land you are rewarded with for your merits will all be paddy fields around Dianchi Lake."

Seeing that Wei Yan was willing to swear an oath, the surrendered soldiers were overjoyed. Several quick-witted ones immediately knelt down and shouted, "We are willing to fight to the death for the general!"

Upon seeing this, the other surrendered soldiers immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Wei Yan, saying, "We are all willing to fight to the death for the general!"

Having won over the hearts of the surrendered soldiers, Wei Yan was overjoyed and immediately ordered the slaughter of pigs and cattle to reward the entire army.

Wei Yan had a military advisor by his side, an old man from Jingzhou named Huang Ming.

He was shocked when Wei Yan spoke earlier, but dared not interrupt him.

Seeing that no one was around, he quickly stepped forward and advised, "General, General Zuo has always ordered that all the proceeds from the government treasury and fields must be registered, inspected, and converted into merits, and must not be divided privately. Although you are doing this for tomorrow's battle, if you really divide the land privately, I'm afraid General Lu will blame you."

According to the regulations promulgated by Liu Feng, all farmland and treasury assets were to be inventoried, registered, and taken over by the military headquarters; it was strictly forbidden for frontline officers to exchange official positions for private gain. Strictly speaking, Wei Yan had already violated this prohibition.

Since Liu Feng established the army, he has been reforming the army's shortcomings and has been cracking down on and weakening the merit of killing heads. Instead, he has been determining merit based on whether strategic and tactical objectives have been achieved. Although the merit of killing heads has not been completely abolished, it is still an important indicator used to evaluate strategy and tactics.

The reason for this change is that the practice of using the "first-level merit" method is too outdated and is extremely prone to disputes, conflicts, and fraud.

To put it simply, even Han Shizhong's achievement of beheading Fang La in later generations could be erased by a single sentence from Tong Guan.

Although Han Shizhong did not capture Fang La single-handedly, but rather under the command of Wang Bing and Xin Xingzong after breaching the city, in terms of merit for capturing Fang La's head, Han Shizhong would at least be considered a minor contributor.

Yet Tong Guan was able to easily erase such a great achievement, which shows that the merit of being awarded the head was not as objective and fair as imagined.

Conversely, registering and cataloging land, treasuries, grain, and military supplies, and evaluating merits based on quantity, would undoubtedly be much fairer and more transparent, and would also be more conducive to replenishing the upper echelons during wartime.

With such a policy in place, given Liu Feng's control over the army, coupled with the auxiliary system of the Supervisory Commission, not only could the loyalty of the army be guaranteed, but also the situation would not have occurred where, after looting Nanjing, the Xiang Army reported that they had gained nothing but two "fake imperial seals" and one "golden seal."

Therefore, Wei Yan's decision at this time was a serious violation of Liu Feng's system.

Wei Yan was not unaware that this was against the rules, but he had his own reasons for being confident.

First of all, Wei Yan did not conceal the harvest of his land. The things he promised to give away are still within Yong Kai's territory. At most, it can only be said that he has overdrawn his future gains.

Secondly, Liu Feng had told them that the key to this attack on the southwest lay first in winning the hearts and minds of the people, and secondly in military strength.

Distributing land was a crucial step in winning over the people.

Finally, Wei Yan had another reason: with a formidable enemy at hand, as the vanguard general, he naturally had the authority to make changes.

Even so, the risks are still considerable; otherwise, Huang Ming wouldn't have reminded Wei Yan.

However, compared to the risks, the merits are greater.

Wei Yan wanted to monopolize the credit for capturing Dianchi Lake.

"Minister Huang need not worry, I will make my own decision."

Wei Yan had considered everything clearly, but he wouldn't explain it to Huang Ming. First, secrecy ensured success, while sloppiness led to failure. Second, given Wei Yan's personality, he disdained arguing with Huang Ming.

Wei Yan now has over 1,800 men under his command, of whom dozens have been killed in battle, and another 100 are stationed in Wudan City.

After the siege of Wudan yesterday, Liu Feng's army in Wudan, under the command of Wei Yan, led more than 800 main force men and more than 900 surrendered soldiers to join Yu Yuan.

Therefore, Wei Yan's troops were able to regroup, and the number of surrendered soldiers reached more than 1,600.

(End of this chapter)