Taiheiki

Chapter 146 Harvest
Under the fierce pursuit of the Wei army, the Jiaozhou army completely collapsed. Except for a small number who managed to escape by boat, the majority were surrounded on a small mudflat along the Xijiang River. These disorganized people were completely incapable of fighting. Many of them lacked weapons, armor, food, and clean water; they were wounded, without medicine, or even cloth to bandage their wounds. The soldiers had lost their officers, and the officers had lost their soldiers. The Wei army did not launch a full-scale attack simply because there was no longer any need for bloodshed; hunger and despair could solve problems that swords could not.

As the afternoon drew near to dinnertime, it began to rain. At first, the rain was light, but it quickly intensified. Soaked to the bone, the defeated soldiers lay limp in the mud, like a group of abandoned and useless things. Just then, shouts rang out in the distance: "Surrender your weapons! Those who surrender will receive hot porridge!"

At first, the shouts were not loud, but soon they grew louder and more unified, and the shouts were simplified to "Those who surrender will receive porridge! Those who surrender will receive porridge!"

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Zhang Xu knelt on a reed mat, holding a ceramic bowl in both hands. The steam emanating from the bowl made him feel quite comfortable. As a commander, Zhang Xu had acted rather bravely, only retreating to the dock where the ships were moored when the situation was already beyond saving. But by then it was too late. Seeing the defeat at the land camp, almost all the Jiaozhou army's ships weighed anchor and sailed upstream. In the ensuing chaos, Zhang Xu lost almost all his followers and guards, leaving him with only five or six men. It was then that, because of the "those who surrender will receive porridge" offer, he was half-dragged, half-pulled out by those around him and surrendered to the Wei army.

"Are you Magistrate Zhang?" a rough voice asked.

With the help of his attendants, Zhang Xu stood up. The speaker was a man clad in iron armor, with more than a dozen guards behind him. He had a thick beard, small eyes, and slightly prominent cheekbones. Zhang Xu puffed out his chest: "Not bad, you are Wei Cong, the Commandant of the Expeditionary Forces?"

"Hehe!" The armored man laughed. "How could our captain look like a bear? He's quite the ladies' man! My name is Fifth Deng, and I'm a captain under the captain!"

"Oh!" Zhang Xu responded, glancing around. "So you're taking me to see him?"

"My captain is not in the camp right now, so I'm in charge of everything here!" Fifth Deng laughed. "Before he left, he instructed that Prefect Zhang should not be treated poorly, so please come with me to wash up and have a meal!"

"Oh?" Zhang Xu nodded somewhat awkwardly.

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Five days later, Zhang Xu's ship arrived in Panyu. Embarrassingly, he arrived in this familiar city as a prisoner. Accompanying him were nearly a hundred others, all powerful and influential families from Cangwu and Yulin prefectures. The army sent to fight Wei Cong was primarily composed of their retainers and private soldiers. Thanks to Wei Cong's extremely fierce pursuit, most of the scholars in the Jiaozhou army did not escape and were taken prisoner.

"Isn't that Kong Nan'an? What's he doing standing on the dock?" someone asked, standing on the deck and pointing to the dock not far away.

"Yes, that's him! He looks like he's here to greet us!"

"Welcome us? Don't you find that strange? We're prisoners of war now, and he's welcoming us at the dock? What's that all about?"

"Yes, he was also Wei Cong's prisoner, just earlier than us, but look at him, he seems to have gotten even fatter than the last time I saw him!"

The scholars on deck began to whisper amongst themselves. Logically, Kong Gui, as the Prefect of Panyu, should be in a similar position to them—all prisoners of Wei Cong. But judging from his smug demeanor—wearing a hempen turban and a long robe, his brushstrokes flowing like the wind—he seemed more like a distinguished guest than a prisoner. However, if Kong Gui was indeed a distinguished guest of Wei Cong, then his coming to the dock to see these unfortunate fellows was quite strange—was he welcoming an old friend or condescendingly gloating?

Soon, the ship docked. As soon as the gangplank was lowered, Kong Gui walked to the gangplank, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Are you all well? I, Kong, am here to greet you!"

An eerie silence fell over the deck. None of the captured scholars were willing to speak first. Finally, Zhang Xu coughed and said, "I'm so glad I survived. Please forgive my foolishness, Brother Kong!"

"Not at all, not at all!" Kong Gui noticed the mood of the crowd and smiled, "A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. In this world, it's hard to say whether something is a blessing or a curse. I've prepared a small feast at home to welcome you all. Please, please!"

Zhang Xu could feel the strange gazes coming from all directions. He didn't want to stay in front of everyone and be ridiculed any longer, so he cupped his hands to Kong Gui and said, "Thank you for your trouble!" Then he walked along the gangplank towards the shore.

Kong Gui had already prepared several oxcarts at the dock. The captured soldiers boarded the carts and headed towards the prefect's residence. Along the way, Zhang Xu carefully observed the area and found that Panyu was bustling with people and prosperous shops, no different from before. He saw no trace of the destruction caused by war and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "Brother Kong, why don't we see any soldiers on the streets?"

"Oh!" Kong Gui laughed, "Colonel Wei's camp is outside the city. Apart from his own two hundred guards in his headquarters in the south of the city, there are no other soldiers inside the city!"

"Oh? Is that so? I never imagined that Commandant Wei was so disciplined in his military affairs!"

"Hehe!" Kong Gui laughed, "Hasn't Prefect Zhang just learned how well he manages his troops?"

Zhang Xu was slightly taken aback by Kong Gui's mild but firm retort. In the past, he would have retorted long ago, but the current situation was beyond his control. Kong Gui was clearly doing well under Wei Cong, and if he were to be stubborn, he would likely suffer greatly in the long run. He pretended not to hear and asked directly, "Brother Kong has followed Commandant Wei for many days, so you should know how he will deal with us, right?"

"Commander Wei's actions are far-reaching and unpredictable, and his actions are as swift and unpredictable as a god. As for his strategies for military and national affairs, he is a unique individual, how could I possibly know them!" Kong Gui smiled and said, "However, he is not a bloodthirsty person. Since you did not die on the battlefield, your lives should be safe!"

"Oh!" Hearing that his life was spared, Zhang Xu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Then, why didn't he see us? He only sent his captain to escort us back to Panyu!"

"Oh, after he defeated you in Gaoyao, he led his troops by boat straight to Guangxin, and should have already captured Guangxin City!" "What?" Zhang Xu was taken aback: "You mean he went directly to take Guangxin City after defeating us in Gaoyao?"

"Yes! At least that's what he wrote in the letter he had the Fifth Commandant deliver to me!" Kong Gui laughed. "Now that we have defeated the enemy in the Battle of Gaoyao, our military prestige has been greatly enhanced. Like splitting bamboo, after a few sections, everything will fall into place. We should take advantage of the situation. Yulin and Cangwu will be taken in no time, and Hepu and Zhuya will surrender at the mere sight of us. We will not fail in our bet with you!"

Upon hearing Kong Gui recite the letter Wei Cong had written to him, Zhang Xu disregarded his embarrassment at being called a "bandit" and couldn't help but admire the elegant wording and profound insights into the situation in the letter. Just as Wei Cong had said in the letter, after annihilating the expeditionary force commanded by Zhang Xu in the Battle of Gaoyao, the only remaining fighting force in Jiaozhou was in Jiuzhen and Rinan suppressing the local indigenous uprisings.

Of the four prefectures of Cangwu, Yulin, Hepu, and Zhuya, Zhuya (Hainan Island) had a small population and weak strength, leaving it with no choice but to submit; its attitude was negligible. Cangwu and Yulin not only lost their county troops, but also the local powerful clans' retainers; the clansmen themselves had been captured by Wei Cong and had no choice but to surrender. Taking advantage of his recent great victory, Wei Cong marched directly on Guangxin, denying potential enemies a chance to regroup. He might very well achieve the situation he described in his letter: "Yulin and Cangwu will fall in no time, Hepu and Zhuya will surrender at the mere sight of him." However, the meaning of his last sentence, "I will not break my bet with you," remains unclear.

Upon hearing Zhang Xu's question, Kong Gui chuckled twice and recounted the bet he had made with Wei Cong: "This bet was just a joke, but I never expected that Captain Wei would take it seriously!"

"If Wei Cong can really pacify Jiaozhou within three months, then you should submit a memorial to the court to appoint him as the governor of Jiaozhou and the Protector of the South China Sea?"

“If he can truly pacify Jiaozhou within three months, regardless of whether I submit a memorial or not, he will already be the ruler of Jiaozhou!” Kong Gui said. “If I submit a memorial and the court grants it, at least the dignity of the Han Dynasty can be maintained, which will benefit both him and the Han Dynasty!”

"That's true, but doing so would violate the laws of the court. If the court were to send troops to punish us in the future, you, Brother Kong, would be caught in the middle and would surely be attacked by others!"

"That's still better than endless war and widespread suffering!" Kong Gui sighed. "Jiaozhou is not like the inland prefectures; it's a border region inhabited by barbarians, and the Han population is small. Wei Mengde is, after all, one of my Han people. If we keep fighting like this, we'll exhaust our Han strength in Jiaozhou. What will we use to deal with the barbarians inside and outside Jiaozhou then? Even if the court eventually eliminates Wei Cong, without enough people, it's impossible to defend Jiaozhou. In the end, we'll just be doing the work for those barbarians. I, Kong Gui, will not do such a foolish thing!"

"Brother Kong's thoughts are far-reaching, beyond my ability!" Zhang Xu nodded sincerely: "I hope that Wei Cong can understand your good intentions."

"In my opinion, Commandant Wei and I are somewhat on the same page about this matter!" Kong Gui said with a smile.

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Wei Cong returned to Panyu about twenty days later than Zhang Xu and others. He arrived in Guangxin on the third day after his victory in Gaoyao and captured the capital of Jiaozhou Prefecture without much effort. The Li River (Gui River) and the Yu River (the collective name for the You River, Yu River, and De River in present-day Guangxi and the Xi River in Guangdong) converge here, making it the most important geographical and transportation hub among the nine prefectures of Jiaozhou.

After capturing Guangxin, Wei Cong ordered the city's armory stock and a large number of artisans to be loaded onto ships and transported back to Panyu. Meanwhile, he led his troops upstream along the Li River, capturing Mengling (a county in the Han Dynasty, now Mengling west of Cangwu County, Guangxi), Pingnan (present-day Pingnan County, Guangxi), and the seat of Yulin Commandery (present-day Guiping City). Along the way, all surrendered without resistance. The surrounding barbarian chieftains, fearing his power, offered generous gifts and came to pay their respects. Wei Cong accepted the gifts and hostages, comforted them, and after several days of displaying his power, he finally returned to Panyu by boat.

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Panyu, the Wei family's headquarters.

Dozens of officers and soldiers knelt on the ground, bowed to Wei Cong at the head of the table, and said in unison: "Your subordinates congratulate Your Majesty on sweeping away Jiaozhou, shaking the south with your might, and establishing a great cause!"

"Gentlemen, please rise!" Wei Cong said with a smile. "This great victory is also inseparable from your concerted efforts! If I am blessed by Heaven and gain control of the southern lands, which I will pass on to my descendants, it will all be due to your public contributions. I will share wealth and honor with you for generations to come!"

"Your subordinate dares not!" Huang Ping said respectfully, "When we marched south, we all led the righteous cause alone, without a single person devising a plan. We were merely clinging to power! There are countless people like us in the world, but only one like our lord. Compared to the Han dynasty, we are nothing but dogs of merit, and we are truly ashamed and unworthy of such praise!"

"What the Emperor said is extremely vulgar!" Wei Cong laughed upon hearing this. "How can you compare a dog to a human? Guards!" Wei Cong clapped his hands twice, and two guards came out from behind him, carrying a rattan box and placing it beside him. The box sounded quite heavy.

"You have all worked very hard this time. Each of you may take two ingots as a reward!" With that, Wei Cong casually opened the rattan box, which contained ingots of horseshoe-shaped gold.

The crowd was overjoyed at the sight and rushed forward to take the gold. After they had all taken their share, there was still a considerable amount left in the rattan box. Wei Cong then summoned seven or eight soldiers, including Qian Wen, Zhebie, Yuan Tian, ​​and Song Hu, who had distinguished themselves by being the first to charge, beheading enemy generals, and capturing flags. He pointed to the rattan box and said, "This remaining gold is yours. Take it all!"

Qian Wen and the others were overjoyed. They quickly thanked Wei Cong, took some gold from the rattan box, thanked him again, and then withdrew. Wei Cong laughed and said, "I originally thought Cangwu and Yulin were desolate places, but I didn't expect them to be so rich in gold and silver. Do you know? This gold was given to me by the chieftains of Cangwu and Yulin when I was in those two prefectures. They naturally have even more. It is truly a prosperous land!"

"If that's the case, then I'm willing to lead two thousand men to retrieve all their gold and silver!" Fifth General stepped forward and shouted.

"That won't be necessary!" Wei Cong waved his hand with a smile. "Since I am the ruler, everything in the world should be taken in moderation. If they want gold and silver, I can either send people to mine them or exchange them for what they need. How can I send people to plunder and cause trouble? Besides, gold and silver all come from the land. As long as the land belongs to me, why should I worry about the gold and silver not belonging to me?"

"Your Majesty's advice is correct!" Fifth Deng laughed. "My lord, Zhuya and Hepu prefectures have also sent envoys to express their intention to surrender. Now, only Jiaozhi, Rinan, and Jiuzhen prefectures in Jiaozhou have not submitted. Rinan and Jiuzhen are just small prefectures, and they have always followed Jiaozhi's lead. Why don't you let me lead the troops to conquer them?"

(End of this chapter)