Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 800 What exactly defines a big shot?

Although Xia Lin's main job at this stage is to train the next generation, his reputation in the martial arts world remains undiminished.

Didn't he send someone to write a letter to Liu Heita a few days ago, asking him to come to Fuliang when he had time?

Liu Heita received the letter and set off the next morning without lingering.

Speaking of Liu Heita, he was a major warlord for ten years. At a time when many powerful clans and warlords were falling from grace, he single-handedly took over all of Yang Ying's inheritance and made the whole of Shandong his base. He was backed by Shanhaiguan and rode on the neck of Xuzhou.

Based on the division of comprehensive strength, Liu Heita can be considered the fourth power outside of the Three Kingdoms. In terms of comprehensive combat capabilities and scale, he is qualified to be a part of the competition.

Yet this very warlord, a man who walked the streets of Shandong with the same imposing presence as an emperor, spent the entire night practicing his salute in front of the mirror in his room at the Fuliang Guesthouse.

He's not young anymore, and his figure has changed a bit, but he's made a lot of careful preparations so that he can see the commander tomorrow.

Firstly, regarding gifts, he knew that the commander-in-chief consistently opposed extravagance and waste, so this time he didn't bring anything valuable, only some local specialties.

These are just ordinary handwritten bamboo slips from Confucius's original manuscripts, as well as ordinary proclamations and manifestos from emperors of past dynasties at Mount Tai, and ordinary original chapters of the Mozi.

None of these are anything of great value; I'm just offering them to the commander as a token of my appreciation.

He didn't prepare much else, just a list of Shandong gentry, a list of land allocations for each family, and a list of all soldiers in Shandong, etc., none of which were anything important.

He didn't sleep well that night, his mind preoccupied with the prospect of meeting the commander-in-chief alone the next day. It had been three years since he last saw the commander-in-chief, and his achievements today were only possible because the commander-in-chief had given him a slight nod a few years ago.

Many in the martial arts world say Liu Heita is arrogant, and he truly is. He has been fighting in the south and north for many years, and has never been defeated. He once made the likes of Li Mi cry for their fathers and mothers, and now he can force Wang Shichong to retreat step by step. He also has a nickname in the world: "The Scythe of Famous Generals." Qin Qiong, the great general under Wang Shichong, has been defeated by him three times, each time losing at least three counties of territory. And which of the famous generals in various places, who are praised to the skies, dares to challenge him?

Therefore, his arrogance has its reasons.

However, only he himself knows why he can be arrogant and when he can be arrogant. The reason he can be arrogant in front of the world is that he served as a soldier in Fuliang diligently and honestly.

He dared not act arrogantly here, not even a little bit. Faced with the military strength of this place, Liu Heita was nothing more than a greenhorn.

He tossed and turned in bed until morning finally arrived. After washing up and getting dressed, he went to where Xia Lin was. This imposing local tyrant stood outside Xia Lin's courtyard gate, looking as terrified as a college student returning to ask his advisor for his usual academic evaluation.

He stood there for a long time without knocking, until Chun Tao came back from buying groceries and saw him: "Excuse me, who are you?"

"I've come to see the General."

"Oh, I'll go and inform them right away."

Chun Tao opened the courtyard gate and went inside. Then she said to Xia Lin, who was eating breakfast, "There's a fat, dark-skinned man outside who says he's looking for you."

"Dark-skinned and chubby... his surname is Guo?" Xia Lin looked up and asked, "What's he dressed like?"

"Wearing military uniform."

"Oh!" Xia Lin nodded and said, "I understand."

After saying that, he personally got up and went outside to greet Liu Heita. Liu Heita was flattered and at a loss, looking like a child.

"Let's eat something together?"

Xia Lin pointed to the food on the table: "It's just simple food, don't be shy."

Liu Heita dared not disobey, so he sat down and took a bowl of corn porridge from Shui Xian's hand, and began to eat it in small bites.

The table was quiet during the meal. Xia Lin's family traditions were actually quite good, mainly because the children were well-mannered. If it were Xia Lin's father and Tuoba Jing, they would be picking their toes and putting their fingers in each other's mouths while eating.

After the meal, the children went off to school or to run errands, and Xia Lin then invited Liu Heita to the study.

"General Liu, it's been a long time."

“General, please don’t address me like that. It makes me feel uncomfortable.” Liu Heita quickly stood up and said timidly, “I am just a lowly soldier under your command, General. I am not worthy of the title.”

"Just say what it is. Being too modest can be off-putting." Xia Lin turned around, took a tea canister from the cabinet, and asked, "Do you prefer black tea or green tea?"

"General, let me do it." Liu Heita quickly stepped forward: "I've had quite a few exchanges with the Shandong scholars these days, and I know a bit about tea ceremony."

He doesn't know anything; he learned it all before he came...

"Haha, that's good, I'll take advantage of this today."

As Liu Heita clumsily began performing the tea ceremony, he heard Xia Lin say, "Shandong has developed well in recent years, but it's still not enough."

"Please enlighten me, Commander."

"Do you want to be emperor?" Upon hearing this, Liu Heita's hand trembled involuntarily, and the teacup almost slipped from his grasp. He quickly put down the teapot and stood up, saying, "General, please do not test me like this. I cannot bear such a responsibility, but if you give the order, my 160,000 soldiers in Shandong can immediately lay down their arms and return to their fields."

"No, no, no, this is not a test." Xia Lin got up, took out a map, and spread it out in front of Liu Heita.

Do you know where the barrier between Goguryeo and the Northern Han on the grasslands lies?

"It's...the area from the Xing'an Mountains to Huangyaguan."

Both being former soldiers, looking at strategic maps was a piece of cake for them, so Xia Lin didn't waste any words and pointed to those two areas.

"You know that the Northern Han Dynasty dreams of owning that piece of black soil, right?"

"know."

How could they not know? What was once the harsh, northernmost land is now a mini-Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall, rich in resources, especially grain, enough to feed millions of people—it's a treasure trove. More importantly, that place belongs to Goguryeo, not Wei or Tang, which is enough to make the Northern Han covet it. If they were to obtain that place, it would be truly extraordinary.

“That place was originally a barren land, full of swamps and infested with poisonous insects. It was I who painstakingly spent a lot of time and countless manpower and resources to develop it into a granary.” Xia Lin pointed to the map forcefully: “Now the Northern Han covets it, and I am not willing to give up. But the problem is that the land is vast, and at present, it is beyond our reach.”

"What the commander-in-chief means is..."

Liu Heita seemed to have a plan in mind as well. His eyes darted around: "A self-inflicted injury ruse?"

Xia Lin secretly admired him. He was indeed a famous general. Although he looked like a rough man, his strategic comprehension was truly remarkable.

"Yes and no." Xia Lin pointed to the vast Northeast region: "Right now I need a new strategic direction. It is both my troops and not my troops. It must have the ability to defend the border and fight, as well as the ability to develop and cultivate land. I felt that you were doing well in Shandong these past few years."

Liu Heita was startled. He then realized that the commander-in-chief had been ignoring his development over the past few years because he was waiting for this.

But then he was overjoyed. Compared to a warlord who was surrounded on all sides in Shandong, an expeditionary force that had crossed the border would be an independent country once it landed. It only needed to be responsible to one person to enjoy peace and tranquility, not to mention that it was a famously fertile land.

"So my plan is for you to take your men out of the pass and go to the Northeast. As for your military system, we'll change it to... the Tuntian Army won't work, it's too weak. Let's change it to the Production and Construction Corps. It will have the organization and authority of the Dao Army, and you won't need to ask for permission unless it's a special matter."

Daojun!

This term hasn't been mentioned for many years, but in reality, the Dao Army's strength started at 400,000, which was the authority of a prince in the feudal system. For example, the total strength of the army in Jiangnan Dao was 400,000. Later, due to various reasons, whether it was princes rebelling or warlord separatism, the Dao Army, this extremely dangerous military system, was gradually put aside and replaced by a new military system.

But it still exists, and this time Xia Lin used the Dao Army model again, but directly gave it to a warlord who controlled a region.

How could Liu Heita not be overjoyed?

"Thank you for your kindness, Commander!"

"Don't thank me yet. You know the 38th parallel, right?"

"I know." Liu Heita quickly stepped forward and marked the 38th parallel on the map with a pen.

"Hey, not bad. You haven't forgotten what you were taught in the army."

"The General's teachings will never be forgotten."

“Go south of the 38th parallel and become the governor.” Xia Lin pointed to that area with his finger: “In addition to guarding the border and cultivating the land, your task is to guard the Miyako Strait for generations. If there is any disturbance on the islands east of the Miyako Strait, you and your descendants will have the responsibility to eliminate it.”

"Order!"

"Alright, you can stay here for a few days. I will have someone send you the detailed arrangements. Think it over carefully. You should know that the Goguryeo and Tangut people are not to be trifled with. You need to find a way to become their king."

"Understood, this is no difficult matter for me." Liu Heita nodded in agreement. "Then, what are the General's plans for Shandong?"

“You will be relieved of your post with General Ye of Huangyaguan. He has been working in this harsh and cold place for more than ten years. It’s time for him to come back and rest.”

"Order!"

Liu Heita was overjoyed. Xia Lin found his expression amusing, because Xiao Yezi had written to Xia Lin every year for the past two years, asking him to be transferred back. It was because that place was too harsh. It wasn't that Xiao Yezi couldn't endure the hardship, but his knees were already frostbitten, making it difficult for him to stand in winter. He was in so much pain that he rolled around in bed all day. In addition, the winters in the north were long, so he had almost lost his ability to make decisions.

Moreover, Xiao Yezi himself said that he had been stationed there for too long, and the loyalty of his subordinates was too high, which was not a good thing. Someone needed to take over his position at this time.

Xia Lin thought about it and agreed that it made sense. When choosing a replacement, he thought of Liu Heita. Liu was tough and had been fighting in the north all along. His physical condition was indeed better than Xiao Yezi's. So he decided to send Liu to replace the king with intestinal obstruction.

Moreover, once he goes there as the governor and the boundary marker is erected, no matter what happens afterward, that place won't be able to cause too much trouble. After all, it's no longer a vassal state; it's just a provincial-level unit. Even if there's a major disturbance, it can only be called an "internal strife."

Moreover, life won't be too hard in the future. After all, shipping has been fully developed, and the routes throughout East Asia are like a spider web, so there's definitely no risk of intestinal obstruction. In winter, there may be nothing else, but there's plenty of Chinese cabbage from Shandong.

(End of this chapter)