Taiheiki

Chapter 162, Part 76: The Frontier
Before he knew it, evening had fallen. Wei Cong looked with satisfaction at the labeled ore samples in the wooden crate. For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to before his transmigration, to the time when he had just started working and was learning from his seniors how to identify the collected ores. At this moment, he couldn't help but miss Captain Cao, who had a bad temper and was always using vulgar language. After all, if it weren't for Captain Cao's strict requirements, he wouldn't have been able to determine the main components and approximate grade of these ores simply by looking, touching, and smelling them, without any chemical instruments.

"Team Leader Cao, you wouldn't believe it! I can now find mine for myself! Once I find it, it's mine. No mining permit needed, no taxes required, everything I dig out is mine!" Wei Cong muttered to himself.
"If only you could come into this world, I could give you an official title, like the Mountain and Lake Envoy. Considering how much you taught me back then, we'll split everything we dig up 90/10, I'll take 90% and you take 10%, and don't complain about it being too little. These days, the line of people begging me to bring their own food to mine would stretch from Luoyang to Chang'an. If it weren't for our old friendship, would you even get this good deal? Making money is nothing to be ashamed of!"

"My lord, there is urgent military news!" Liu Jiu's voice came from outside the tent.

"Sigh!" Wei Cong sighed, casually closing the wooden box containing the ore samples. At the same time, he gathered his memories, and when he turned around, he became that majestic general in crimson robes, the anti-rebel captain.

"Come in and talk!"

"Yes, sir!" Liu Jiu answered as he entered. "Guo Kui and Yuan Tian were attacked by bandits on their way!"

"Oh? Is that so? How are the two of them?"

"Seeing the situation was dire, Guo Kui sent Yuan Tian ashore with your letter to escape. Yuan Tian encountered Yang Zheng's patrol on his escape route, and Guo Kui's fate is currently unknown. This is Yang Zheng's letter!"

Wei Cong took the letter, opened it, and read it. After a few minutes, he put it down and paced back and forth. Liu Jiu lowered his voice and said, "Could it be that the Moth Bandits think they're too powerful now and don't need us anymore, so they've turned against us? If that's the case, we need to be careful with Yang Zheng!"

"It's not certain yet!" Wei Cong said coldly. "The Moth Thieves' forces are very diverse and their command is not unified. The group that attacked them was most likely after the valuables on the ship!"

"But Guo Kui clearly identified himself when he was attacked, and your flag was flying on the ship!"

“As I said, the Moth Thieves are a complex group. The people who attacked me may not have been acting on orders from their superiors; they were most likely blinded by greed! But you're right, we do need to strengthen our defenses over Yang Zheng's side, and Asheng needs to be withdrawn as soon as possible. A major battle is bound to break out in Chaisang sooner or later, and staying there would be extremely dangerous!”

"You're right, sir!" Liu Jiu nodded. "What about our side? Should we gather all the troops and prepare to provide support?"

“There’s no need for that now!” Wei Cong immediately rejected his subordinate’s suggestion: “Let’s try diplomacy first and then take action. Let’s tell Grand Master Lu and the Great Teacher of Virtue about this. If they give me an explanation, then so be it; otherwise, I will naturally give them an explanation!”

"Look!" Liu Jiu was somewhat disappointed. He hadn't expected Wei Cong to be so slow-witted, or rather, weak.

“Yuzhang is in complete chaos right now! We shouldn’t get too much energy involved!” Wei Cong noticed his subordinates’ mood: “Let’s deal with things in Jiaozhou first! It’s the rainy season in Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan, so it’s not a good time to move troops. When the rain stops in November and the roads are dry, the bandits will definitely launch a major attack. That’s when we should make our move!”

"Yes!" Liu Jiu nodded, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "My lord, why do you value Jiaozhi so much, yet refuse to care about Yuzhang County? I've heard that it's a land of miasma and malaria, while Yuzhang County is much better off!"

“Before we came to Lingnan, people said it was a land of miasma. Now that you’re here, is it?” Wei Cong asked.

Liu Jiu shook his head: "But this place is very desolate, and there are barbarians everywhere! Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan are probably even more desolate, with even more barbarians!"

“That’s right! But that also means there’s more land available for development and more abundant resources!” Wei Cong laughed. “Tell me, in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, which powerful vassal states were there?”

"Hmm!" Liu Jiu hesitated for a moment, then smiled wryly, "This subordinate does not know!"

"Qi, Lu, Wei, Song, Shen, Cao, Huo, Guo!" Wei Cong rattled off a string of country names, finally asking, "Aren't you wondering why you haven't heard of most of these countries?"

"Indeed!" Liu Jiu said with a wry smile, "I haven't read many books, please forgive me, my lord!"

“This is not your fault!” Wei Cong said, “Because most of these countries were later destroyed, and even those that were not destroyed became insignificant small countries. Only one country was able to remain powerful and persist until the end of the Warring States period: Qi!”

"Ah!" Liu Jiu was startled: "Then, what about those powerful states? Like Qin and Chu!"

"In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, the Qin state was merely a vassal state on the western frontier, raising horses. It did not have the status of a feudal lord until King Ping moved the capital eastward. The situation of the Chu state was better. When King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Shang Dynasty, the ancestors of the Chu state were rewarded for their contributions and were enfeoffed in what was then the south. However, they were only granted the title of viscount, with a territory of no more than a hundred li. Moreover, the area was extremely desolate, not even as good as present-day Panyu!"

In fact, the ancestors of other powerful states were similar. The ancestors of the Three Jin states, following the Jin state, were initially enfeoffed in lands between the Rong and Di tribes, far less prosperous than the contemporary states of Wei, Song, Shen, Cao, Huo, and Guo. The capital of Yan was located in present-day Youzhou, and due to the long distance, it was cut off from the Zhou dynasty for over a century. Even Qi's initial fiefdom, Yingqiu, was located among the Laiyi tribes, and its kings' tombs were near the city gates of its capital, Yingqiu, precisely because of constant warfare with the surrounding Laiyi tribes, fearing that their tombs would be desecrated by foreign enemies. You see, among the seven powerful states of the Warring States period, none were initially enfeoffed in prosperous lands; they all developed from border regions. Do you think that's why?

"Because, because of divine favor?"

"The will of Heaven is elusive; who can truly understand it?" Wei Cong smiled. "The reason is actually quite simple. While the border regions are sparsely populated and inhabited by many barbarians, they also possess vast territories and few neighboring states. Expansion there involves less power. Unlike the states of Wei, Song, Shen, Cao, Huo, and Guo, which are closer to the Central Plains, any slight movement there can have far-reaching consequences. Therefore, their strength grows faster than that of the states in the Central Plains. Over time, naturally, more powerful states emerge from the border regions, while the states in the Central Plains gradually fall behind!"

"Does my lord mean that if we occupy Jiaozhou, we will become warlords in a remote border region?" Liu Jiu gradually understood.

"That's right. In Jiaozhou, no matter how much barbarian land we annex, how many people we plunder, how many mines we build, how many cities we train, how many weapons we manufacture, the imperial court will not interfere or have any say in it. But in the Central Plains, if we do anything that offends the local powerful families, we might incur the wrath of the imperial court, or even be forcibly recalled to Luoyang, and all our previous efforts will be in vain."

As for the sparse population, the current chaos caused by the bandits is an opportunity. As the war shifts from the Huai River region to the south, more and more people fleeing the war will migrate south. As long as we are well-prepared, settle these refugees on land, provide them with farming tools and oxen, and let them live and work in peace in Jiaozhou, over time they will consider this place their hometown, and the population will flourish.

"No wonder you don't want to get involved in Yuzhang County right now!" Liu Jiu said with admiration. "Then what are your plans, sir?"

“It’s very simple!” Wei Cong said, “The people from the north are not used to the climate and water of Panyu. Why don’t we set up a county here specifically to settle them? First, it will meet our mining needs; second, it will reduce conflicts between them and the locals; and third, we can recruit these immigrants as soldiers to counterbalance the locals of Jiaozhou. To prevent the clans of the people coming from the south from becoming too powerful, we can set up passes before the mountain roads, keeping the more powerful clans north of the Five Ridges and settling them in places like Ganxian. Only scattered people will be allowed to cross the ridges!”

Hearing this, Liu Jiu understood immediately. His biggest concern with outsiders like Wei Cong was the rise of local power. Therefore, securing a continuous stream of northern immigrants was crucial for suppressing local forces and ensuring control of the government. Wei Cong's strategy, in essence, was a borrowing from the tactics of the Eastern Jin court during the Yongjia Rebellion—settling southward migrants in several prefectures, preventing them from mixing with the people of Jiangnan, and making them a major source of military power under the court's control. For example, the famous Beifu Army's soldiers came from Nan Yanzhou (whose capital was Guangling).

In order to prevent powerful refugee leaders from threatening his power, the Eastern Jin court usually prohibited these refugee leaders from leading their followers across the river, and only allowed them to gather in the strategic areas of the Huai River region, becoming a shield for the Eastern Jin court.

Wei Cong set up checkpoints in the Five Ridges, settling the stronger groups of refugees with powerful clan armies in several counties in southern Jiangxi, such as Ganxian and Luling, north of the Five Ridges, as a barrier for his side in the Five Ridges direction; while the large number of unorganized or smaller groups of refugees were allowed to cross the Five Ridges and then settled in the land centered on Shaoguan.

Firstly, the area was sparsely populated (Shaoguan in the Eastern Han Dynasty belonged to Nanye County of Yuzhang Commandery in Yangzhou, and its seat was located in the southwestern part of Zhangjiang River in present-day Nankang District of Ganzhou, a distance of 200 kilometers). Therefore, it was not easy for the migrants to have conflicts with the original inhabitants over water and land.
Secondly, the region is rich in mineral resources, has abundant water resources, and fertile land, making it suitable for agriculture, mining, smelting, and various handicrafts, providing ample space for a large number of migrants from the south. The climate is also relatively cool for Lingnan, making it even more suitable for migrants from the north.

Thirdly, this is the only waterway route from Yuzhang County to Panyu. If Wei Cong plans to wage war to the north in the future, it will be very convenient to conscript troops and transport supplies from here. In Wei Cong's mind, if Panyu is the northern capital in his future Jiaozhou blueprint (the southern capital is located in the Red River Delta or the Mekong River Delta), then Shaoguan is the northern prefecture (here, prefecture means military prefecture) in the blueprint, the starting point for the northern expedition to conquer the Central Plains.

Over the next few days, Wei Cong sent his entourage to survey the local mineral resources, while also surveying and recording the local rivers, soil, and high ground, preparing for the upcoming resettlement of displaced people. At this time, Kong Gui also realized that Wei Cong valued this land highly, and he seized an opportunity to ask, "Lord Wei, do you intend to establish your capital here?"

"Lord Kong is joking!" Wei Cong laughed. "I am a military officer, a commander who quells rebellions. My administrative post naturally moves with the army. How could it be fixed in one place?"

"So what are you doing—?"

“There are iron mines and copper mines here!” Wei Cong said. “Moreover, if refugees from Yuzhang County cross the Five Ridges and travel south by boat, they will arrive here. Therefore, I plan to establish a refugee county here to settle those refugees!”

"The refugees from Yuzhang Commandery?" Kong Gui reacted quickly: "You mean the imperial army sent to quell the rebellion will head south—"

"Not yet!" Wei Cong smiled. "But it's never a bad thing to be prepared! If you're prepared, you won't succeed!"

"Lord Wei!" Kong Gui's expression immediately turned serious. "I think you should be cautious about this matter. If it is really as you say, there must be a large number of bandits among the refugees fleeing south from Yuzhang County. These bandits are lawless and reckless thugs who are used to robbing and looting. After fleeing to Lingnan, how can they be expected to be controlled and honestly farm the land? You must not let momentary pity harm the hundreds of thousands of people in Jiaozhou!"

"Don't worry, Master Kong, I will set up checkpoints along the route across the Five Ridges, allowing only law-abiding citizens to cross!" Wei Cong smiled. This Kong Gui was not the kind of well-intentioned but corrupt scholar. Just as he said, being a registered commoner in an ancient unified empire was not a pleasant experience. Heavy taxes, arduous labor, spiritual boredom, and material scarcity—this was the life of 99% of ordinary farmers under the empire's rule.

To ensure that the vast majority of peasants could endure this kind of life, a two-pronged approach of severe punishments and brainwashing was needed. Brainwashing would tell the peasants that this was their best option, while severe punishments would physically eliminate the few unruly individuals in order to maintain the internal order of the empire.

But once a large-scale war breaks out, and millions of farmers break free from their original constraints and begin a different life, they will find how unbearable their former life was. Such people would never again put themselves in chains and return to that life of hardship.

The only option was to physically eliminate these people who had already tasted freedom, which is why ancient states often massacred peasant armies after they surrendered. Kong Gui was unaware that Wei Cong needed a large number of soldiers and handicraft laborers, and that there was enough space to settle those former "moth bandits." Instead, he was somewhat troubled by the tightly knit clans and powerful families, so he simply left them north of the Five Ridges as a buffer.

(End of this chapter)