Taiheiki

Chapter 147 Maritime Trade Commissioner

"You want to lead troops to conquer?" Wei Cong shook his head upon hearing this: "Forget it. I have never been one to rashly use my strength in warfare. My soldiers only use seven-tenths of their strength, which is why we are invincible. It has been almost three months since we left Yuhan County and sailed south. Our soldiers have crossed mountains and valleys, endured fierce battles, and gained much. Their edge has dulled, and their morale has waned. Jiaozhi is a large prefecture with a population of over 100,000. It is far from Panyu, and we cannot underestimate the enemy. It would be better to temporarily rest our soldiers, send a messenger to explain our intentions, and inform them of the potential consequences. Subduing the enemy without fighting is the best strategy! Huang Ping, who do you think should be chosen as the messenger?"

Upon hearing Wei Cong mention his name, Huang Ping quickly replied, "This subordinate is willing to go!"

"You are indeed the right person, but I have many affairs to attend to and really cannot do without you! Here's what we'll do! You choose a reliable person from your subordinates and have him accompany the younger brother of Prefect Yu to Jiaozhi to convey my intention to make peace with Governor Zhang!"

"Yes!" Huang Ping responded. After a slight hesitation, he said respectfully, "My lord, you have now pacified the five prefectures of Jiaozhou, but you lack men under your command. Why not send envoys to order Zhao Yannian and the others who were left in Jingzhou to come south?"

"That's right!" Fifth Deng replied, "My lord, Old Zhao is your right-hand man. If he comes, you can order him to conquer all directions, and you can stay in the capital and not have to work so hard!"

"Yes!" Liu Jiu chimed in, "And Wen Sheng and the others, if they knew you had established such a great presence in Lingnan, they'd probably be speechless with joy!"

“Yes, and the young master!” Guo Kui said, “He must have grown quite strong since I last saw him a few months ago. My lord, although the young master is not your biological son, his filial piety towards you is no different from that of your own child. In my opinion, instead of leaving him in Chaisang, why not simply bring him to Panyu? He will definitely come in handy!”

Upon hearing Huang Ping's suggestion, everyone chimed in, advising Wei Cong to summon all his former subordinates who had remained in Jingzhou and Chaisang to Lingnan. It wasn't that they were all so magnanimous as to not fear others taking their share of the pie; rather, the pie of Jiaozhou was simply too large for their few remaining troops to handle.

According to the political conventions of the Han Dynasty, the prefects and magistrates of the five commanderies that Wei Cong had already conquered would certainly be appointed by him. Local powerful families could only serve as assistant officials and subordinates. In other words, there were dozens of positions to be filled for prefects and magistrates in these five commanderies alone. People like Wu Deng and Huang Ping would at least be worth 1,000 shi (a high-ranking official in the Han Dynasty), and if they were lucky, it wouldn't be surprising if they became prefects with a salary of 2,000 shi. Not to mention that after Wei Cong conquered Jiaozhi, Rinan, and Jiuzhen, the earliest followers of Wei Cong would all be guaranteed the position of prefect with a salary of at least 2,000 shi, wearing gold and purple robes (they believed that Wei Cong would eventually establish a kingdom), which was just a matter of time.

After the Battle of Gaoyao, anyone with eyes could see the overwhelming advantage the Wei army had over the local military forces of Jiaozhou. Conquering Jiaozhou militarily was no longer a major problem. However, conquering the land and governing it are two different things. Wu Deng, Huang Ping, and Liu Jiu were well aware of their shortcomings in classical studies, political and economic resources, and administrative abilities. They also knew that after completing the military conquest, Wei Cong would inevitably need to win the support of the local ruling class in Jiaozhou, absorb their talent, and protect a significant portion of their interests in order to truly consolidate his rule over Jiaozhou. It was precisely for this reason that they largely approved of Wei Cong's preferential treatment of Kong Gui, the Yu family travelers, and the Shi brothers, and even actively courted him.

For the fifth group, the most important thing is to ensure that these outsiders have an advantage over the locals. If it's just a matter of quantity and quality of talent, they certainly can't compete with the locals. In that case, bringing Zhao Yannian, Wen Sheng, Nie Sheng, and others to Lingnan to form a group and secure their positions is the most crucial thing. Once they've secured their positions, no matter how capable the newcomers are, they can only obediently follow behind step by step. After all, very few people can be appointed beyond their rank like Han Xin; most people can only be ranked according to seniority. Once the starting point is fixed, it becomes extremely difficult to overtake them later.

At this moment, Wei Cong naturally couldn't guess the little schemes his subordinates were plotting, but even if he did, he wouldn't care. "Within a party, there are all sorts of strange things." As his empire grew larger and his personnel increased, the factions and conflicts within the group would only increase and become more acute. As long as he could maintain control, it could sometimes be a good thing. If only one faction remained, united as one, he would be held hostage, making many things difficult to handle.

“Zhao Yannian and the others are currently under Feng Cheqi’s command. If they move, it will cause too much of a stir. It’s better to wait until I’ve pacified the entire Lingnan region before trying to transfer them over!” Wei Cong pondered for a moment. “As for Asheng, we should indeed consider him. After all, Chaisang is located at the border of Jing and Yang prefectures, a strategic location. Once a war breaks out, we definitely won’t be able to avoid it. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll write a letter, and Guo Kui, you can deliver it for me. I’ll explain the specifics in the letter!”

"Your subordinate obeys!" Guo Kui quickly stood up to accept the order.

"Since you're going to Chaisang anyway, why not visit a few more places?" Wei Cong laughed. "From Ganxian to Chaisang, I'll pick out some specialties from Lingnan and overseas for you to take with you. Along the way, whenever you stop, give some gifts to people and tell them about our situation in Lingnan. That way, no one will be unaware and think we're doomed in Lingnan, and do something stupid that would make things look bad for everyone!"

"I understand!" Guo Kui laughed. "We will certainly demonstrate the might of our lord, so that those who dare to defy us will be terrified and dare not act rashly!"

"Hehe, it's good that you understand!" Wei Cong laughed. "What I feared most was that before we even conquered Lingnan, trouble would break out in Yuzhang. At that time, we would be unable to advance or retreat, and the morale of our troops would be shattered. That would be the end of us. Fortunately, we have now settled things in Jiaozhou, and the soldiers are at ease. It will be easier to stabilize the counties in Yuzhang. After you go to Chaisang, check on the situation in Jingzhou. If possible, try to meet with Zhao Yannian and send him my gifts and letter! If you go alone, you might encounter problems on the road without anyone to discuss them with. So, let Yuan Tian go with you. He is skilled in martial arts and capable in handling affairs, making him a perfect assistant to you!"

"Here!"

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When a ship arrived, Ghaza Baffa (Ghaza being his nickname, meaning brave in the local language) would usually stay at a rocky islet about three miles from Panyu City, where he could be the first to board the ship, count the cargo, and find out how much of it had fallen into the sea, how much had been soaked, and how much was intact. This helped him earn a lot of money.

That noon, Baffa was, as usual, in the cargo hold of a palm-wood barge with two dark-skinned slaves, checking the goods. One slave carried a lantern, and the other carried a wax tablet and an iron pen.

“Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine,” Baffa counted intently as Wu Ze and the captain descended from the cabin. Today he wore a pale purple silk coat and silver-plated boots. He uncorked a jar, sniffed it, sneezed, and said, “This pepper is stale. Damn it, they’re trying to fool me with old stock as fresh this season. I’ll deduct two-thirds of the payment!” He turned and saw Wu Ze, then suddenly stopped. “Oh, oh, wait, is it pepper or tears that blur my vision? Is this my old friend standing before me? When did you return?”

“He came back with our captain last night!” Wu Ze smiled. “The enemy slashed my shoulder!” He pulled open his coat, revealing a white bandage on his shoulder. “But my armor is very good, I only suffered a minor injury, while he was pierced through the chest by my sword!”

“The gods are protecting you, really! It’s divine protection!” Baffa said with great certainty. He turned around, rummaged through the shelf for a while, and handed Wu Ze a coconut shell: “Here you go!”

"What is this?" "Spice, it contains several extremely precious resins, dried fruits, and ambergris. The gods love this scent the most!" Baffa patted Wu Ze's arm: "You must please the gods, otherwise they will think you are an ungrateful wretch, and you won't be so lucky next time you go to the battlefield!"

"Really?" Wu Ze opened the coconut shell with some skepticism and took a sniff. A peculiar fragrance filled his nostrils, instantly intoxicating him. After a while, he finally came to his senses: "I can't believe it, it's real—"

“Of course! Why would I give you a fake? My old friend!” Baffa laughed. “In Luoyang, this stuff would be worth its weight in gold! Someone!” He said to his black slave, “Take my old friend to the deck and treat him to the finest goat cheese, dates, wine, and dried fruit. My old friend, please wait a moment while I finish inventorying the goods and come back to you. It won’t be long!”

The black slave bowed respectfully to Wu Ze and then led him to the deck. A soft, thick carpet had been laid out under the parasol at the stern, and on the table were the goat cheese, dried fruit, and date wine that Baffa had mentioned earlier. Wu Ze took a sip, then popped the dried fruit into his mouth. The sweet taste quickly filled his mouth, and his brow involuntarily relaxed.

Bafa didn't keep Wu Ze waiting long. He sat down opposite Wu Ze and asked, "What do you think of this date wine? Does it suit your taste?"

"That's right, you know soldiers aren't too picky about food and drink!"

“That’s true!” Baffa smiled. “I’ve already heard that your captain won! Many people died in that battle, is that right?”

"Fortunately, we only lost six or seven hundred men, and three times that number were wounded; the enemy lost nearly four thousand heads and captured more than twelve thousand alive. During the pursuit, we killed or captured more than three thousand more. The enemy was basically wiped out!"

"So, that means nearly five thousand people died on the battlefield alone, is that right?" Baffa became serious. "That's truly terrifying. I have to admit, you Han Chinese are incredibly skilled at killing! No wonder you possess such a great empire!"

"What's wrong?" Wu Ze looked at Bafa in surprise: "There aren't that many, are there? Besides, our captain is a very kind man. He not only didn't kill the prisoners, but also gave the wounded enemy soldiers medicine and food!"

“Perhaps!” Baffa sighed. “But do you know what? In just one afternoon, more than five thousand young men were killed, and the number of wounded is likely much higher. My hometown has roughly that many young men, and it is one of the greatest cities in Southeast Asia. In other words, you can destroy the greatest city in Southeast Asia in just one afternoon. How can I not be afraid?”

"Well—" Wu Ze said somewhat awkwardly, "Aren't there women, the elderly, and children too?"

"What use are women, the elderly, and children without men's protection? Soon pirates will plunder the city!" Baffa shook his head: "Never mind, I shouldn't have said that! When will your captains become kings?"

"Become king?" Wu Ze was stunned: "Who told you he could become king?"

"Hasn't he already won a great victory? I heard that no one in the entire Jiaozhou can stand against him anymore. Why wouldn't he declare himself king at this point?"

"Only five counties in Jiaozhou have submitted to him now. Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan are still under the jurisdiction of the former governor of Jiaozhou. Even if he takes Jiaozhou, it won't amount to much. The Han Dynasty has a total of thirteen provinces!"

“Well, then at least he’s not far from becoming the governor of Jiaozhou, right?” Bafa asked. “He’s better than the previous governor of Jiaozhou!”

"Of course!" Wu Ze waved his arm. "You didn't see the scene when our captains took Cangwu and Yulin counties. No one dared to pick up a weapon to resist. Wherever we went, the city gates were open. Those usually arrogant and fierce chieftains and local tyrants all came to pay their respects with generous gifts and handed over hostages. They didn't dare to breathe loudly in front of our captains!"

"May the gods protect us!" Baffa laughed. "Then the matter of the foreign quarters should be ready to begin?"

"That's right!" Wu Ze laughed. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something. After returning to Panyu, my captain has appointed me as the Panyu Maritime Trade Commissioner. From now on, I will be in charge of all trade between Panyu and foreign merchants!"

"Really!" Baffa exclaimed with delight. "Why didn't you say so sooner? I could have prepared a generous gift to congratulate you on your new appointment!"

"I don't care about etiquette!" Wu Ze waved his hand. "I won't lie to you, whether I can hold this position as the Panyu Maritime Trade Commissioner for long depends on whether you foreign merchants will help me!"

"Help?" Baffa immediately translated "help" into "give money" in his mind. He was not surprised at all: from east to west, from south to north, the Qin people, the Arabs, the Sindhu people, the Han people, the Persians, from blond hair to red hair, from white skin to black hair, as long as they had power, they would ask merchants for money and treasures.

(End of this chapter)