Taiheiki

Chapter 172 Upstream
"Five feet?" Wei Cong frowned, thinking to himself that this was probably a Yunnan horse from later generations, but it was better to have it than not. Even if it couldn't be used as a warhorse, it could still be used as a mounted infantryman or a pack animal. Besides, if Indian stallions were brought in from the sea in the future, they could be used for crossbreeding.

"Change it? Why not change it!" Wei Cong said, "It would be best to establish a long-term channel and trade with that Ju-ting Kingdom regularly! By the way, Master Kong, do you know where this Ju-ting Kingdom is?"

"The Kingdom of Gou-ting?" Kong Gui took the letter, glanced at it, and frowned, pondering for a moment. "It seems to be one of the vassal states of the southwestern barbarians, and a long-time enemy of the Kingdom of Yelang. It once defeated the Central Plains army during Wang Mang's reign, but I don't know anything else about it!"

"A vassal state of the Southwestern Yi, the archenemy of the Yelang Kingdom? That should be in Yunnan Province!" Wei Cong tried hard to recall the map of Yunnan Province in his mind. If he remembered correctly, several famous rivers in Southeast Asia, such as the Red River, Mekong River, Salween River, and Irrawaddy River, either originated in or once flowed through Yunnan.

In other words, from a military-geographical perspective, Yunnan Province is upstream of almost all Southeast Asian countries, with convenient water transport, making expansion and trade from Yunnan to Southeast Asia extremely convenient. Therefore, many local regimes established in Yunnan had extensive vassal states in Southeast Asia, such as Nanzhao, Ailao, Dali, and Luchuan. Establishing a trade route deep into Yunnan Province would mean opening up trade channels deep into the heart of Southeast Asia, which would be extremely advantageous for both resource gathering and intelligence acquisition.

"Huang Changshi!" Wei Cong said, "Go to Guangxin immediately, and it would be best to invite that barbarian leader to Panyu so that he can see the situation in Jiaozhou with his own eyes. It doesn't matter whether the business is successful or not, just make friends first!"

"Here!"

"Lord Wei seems quite interested in this phrase, 'town and state'!" Kong Gui said with a smile.

"I wouldn't say I'm interested!" Wei Cong smiled. "It's just that this Jucheng Kingdom is located upstream of the various barbarian tribes and is connected by rivers. If we can form an alliance with them, I can come from the sea and they can come from the land and sail downstream. This way, we can eliminate all the enemies outside Jiaozhou once and for all, and expand our territory by thousands of miles!"

"Expanding territory by tens of thousands of miles? Annihilating all enemies outside Jiaozhou?" Kong Gui was taken aback. Having served as the Prefect of Nanhai in Panyu for two years, he knew that Jiaozhou was actually a vast territory, though sparsely populated, with even fewer Han Chinese registered there. In terms of land area alone, it was probably one of the largest of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty. With such a large land area, there would naturally be many neighboring enemies. If, as Wei Cong suggested, all the enemies of Jiaozhou were to be eliminated, then it would indeed require expanding territory by tens of thousands of miles. However, in that case, Jiaozhou would likely be larger than the other twelve provinces combined, which might not necessarily be a good thing.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!" Kong Gui smiled and said, "Although Duke Wei's undertakings are grand and far-reaching, we cannot completely ignore the matters at hand, can we?"

"The matter at hand?" Wei Cong laughed and said, "Haven't you heard, Master Kong, that he who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term; he who does not plan for the whole is not fit to plan for a part? I, Wei, never go to the battlefield unless I have an eight or nine out of ten chance of winning!"

"He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term; he who does not plan for the whole is not fit to plan for a part?" Kong Gui's eyes lit up: "Mengde, did you already have eight or nine points of certainty when you raised your banner and marched south to Jiaozhou?"

“Not bad!” Wei Cong nodded.

"But when you sent out your troops, you only had a few thousand men, and the Five Ridges were treacherous and plagued by miasma. Did you even consider these factors?"

"Lord Kong, having fewer soldiers is not a problem. The terrain and miasma are merely difficulties I have anticipated. As long as I prepare in advance, they can be overcome. The enemy, however, often overestimates my difficulties and fails to take necessary precautions. I can recruit soldiers along the way, and I can send scouts ahead to prepare the necessary equipment for climbing the treacherous terrain. I can choose a colder, less rainy winter to deal with the miasma. Once I overcome these foreseeable difficulties, I can easily defeat the unprepared enemy. Therefore, the difficulty of military competition lies in turning the indirect into the direct, and turning adversity into advantage. Thus, by taking a roundabout route and enticing the enemy with benefits, one can arrive first despite starting later, and thus launch a surprise attack!"

Hearing Wei Cong's words, Kong Gui fell silent for a moment. He couldn't help but recall how Wei Cong's soldiers had driven him to the gates of the prefect's mansion before he discovered the invasion. While his usual focus on classical studies and lack of knowledge of government affairs certainly played a part, the main reason was that the entire Jiaozhou region was focused on the barbarian rebellion in Jiaozhi, completely unaware that an enemy would cross the Five Ridges from the north. If it weren't for the Five Ridges, the resistance of the Jiaozhou people against Wei Cong would likely have been even fiercer.

"Lord Wei's words truly capture the essence of military strategy!" Kong Gui sighed. "It is indeed presumptuous of me to discuss military matters in front of you!"

Seeing Kong Gui's dejected appearance, Wei Cong knew that his words had hurt him. He laughed and said, "Why be like this, Master Kong? Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. If I want to bring peace to Jiaozhou, I certainly cannot do without you, Master Kong!"

Just then, a servant entered from outside, knelt down, and reported, "Your Majesty, an envoy from the imperial court has arrived, and the ship has already docked at the pier!"

"An envoy from the imperial court?" Wei Cong was taken aback, wondering if the "sugar-coated bullets" he had asked Cao Cao to send had taken effect? ​​It seems that humans haven't made much progress in this regard over the past few thousand years.

"Lord Kong, since they are envoys from the imperial court, we should naturally go to the dock to personally welcome them!"

"Excellent!" Kong Gui was secretly pleased to see Wei Cong's politeness. At that time, it was common for scholar-officials to privately criticize the court, and Kong Gui was no stranger to Wei Cong's frequent "rebellious" remarks. In his view, Wei Cong was an extraordinary person doing extraordinary things; as long as he followed proper etiquette in formal settings, he was still a loyal comrade of the Han Dynasty. Any conflicts were internal conflicts among the people, not conflicts between enemies. Therefore, Kong Gui was not rebelling, but fulfilling his duty.

The two left the mansion and boarded a carriage, heading towards the dock. Upon arrival, they saw a two-masted sailing ship flying a red flag moored beside the pier. Two hundred guards armed with spears and halberds were already positioned along the shore, separating the surrounding crowd. Wen Sheng, the leader, approached, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Captain, I've already inquired. The man on board is the Imperial Censor Yuan Shao, the same scholar who led his guests and chivalrous figures to kill the eunuch traitor in Chang'an. His uncle is the current Grand Tutor, Yuan Kui. A true prodigy of the Yuan family of Runan! He's indeed remarkable! I heard he's here to appoint you as the Governor of Jiaozhou!" "Keep an eye on the surroundings, don't cause any trouble! Also, pay attention to my hand gestures. As soon as I clench my right fist and then release it, press down. Have someone come up and protect me first, then arrest that brat surnamed Yuan!" Wei Cong coughed softly. Why was Yuan Shao sent here? What kind of official was an Imperial Censor? Was he exiled, or did the Yuan family want to talk to him about something? Is that why they sent this kid? Could it be that this kid's own idea, trying to cause some trouble in Jiaozhou?
"What? This bastard is going to attack you?" Wen Sheng's expression changed drastically: "Then I'll immediately send men aboard to arrest him!"

"No! That's just in case!" Wei Cong grabbed Wen Sheng. "Yuan Shao is a ruthless character. He doesn't value his own life, let alone other people's! I don't want to die here in a muddle!"

"Oh, oh!" Wen Sheng finally understood: "I understand. Don't worry, there are at most thirty or forty people on this ship, and we have at least two hundred people here. As long as you give the order, we'll chop them into mincemeat!"

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Even standing among thousands of people, this person can be recognized at a glance as a natural leader, just like himself.

Yuan Shao reminded himself that through the window he could clearly see the tall man. All eyes were on him, greeting him, cheering him, and awaiting his orders—a feeling Yuan Shao knew all too well. The man, however, knew how to handle it. He smiled, occasionally nodding or waving in a certain direction, calmly dealing with everything as if it were all under his control.

The streets were bustling with people, and the wide river was filled with all sorts of boats. The dull thud of ramming earth echoed in the distance. Despite Cao Cao's warning before his journey to Panyu, Yuan Shao still felt a little dizzy. He had set out from Luoyang, headed to Guangling, and then traveled by sea to Panyu. After passing Xiapi (present-day Suining County, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, the seat of the Xuzhou governor at the time), he could clearly feel the atmosphere of war. Although it was not yet the main battlefield for suppressing the "E'e bandits," the area along the way was sparsely populated, villages were deserted, fields were overgrown with thorns, and bones were exposed in the wild. Only the fields around the county town or Wubao showed signs of cultivation.

No matter how swiftly Wei Cong pacified Jiaozhou, it still involved several battles. The movement of the army, the construction of fortifications, the unchecked looting by the conquerors, the burning, killing, and plundering by scattered and defeated soldiers, coupled with Wei Cong's amassed wealth to buy official positions—all this turmoil meant that losing a third of the population was quite normal. But what he saw now was that Panyu City showed no signs of war damage; in fact, it was even more prosperous than he had expected—at least no less prosperous than Xiapi, which was one of the top three important towns in the entire Xuzhou.

"Your humble servant, Kong Gui, Prefect of Nanhai! Your humble servant, Wei Cong, Commandant of the Expeditionary Army! We respectfully welcome the imperial envoy!"

Two voices came from the shore. Yuan Shao smiled and nodded to his attendant beside him. The attendant stepped out of the cabin and said in a deep voice, "Summon the two of you to board the ship!"

Wei Cong glanced back at Meng Gaogong, and the burly man understood, stepping forward and following closely behind Wei Cong. Only then did Wei Cong follow Kong Gui onto the ship. As the two entered, Meng Gaogong followed closely behind. The guards at the door tried to stop them, but Meng Gaogong easily pushed them aside with both arms. Meng Gaogong then ducked into the cabin, standing two feet behind Wei Cong.

"How dare you be so rude!" Wei Cong scolded, then turned to Yuan Shao and smiled, "This man is a barbarian from the wilderness, ignorant of manners. Please forgive his rudeness, Your Excellency!"

"Well, his loyalty to his lord is indeed pitiful!" Yuan Shao saw that Meng Gaogong, though reprimanded, still stood two feet behind Wei Cong, unmoved, his right hand on his sword, looking ready to fight to the death at any moment. He knew that Wei Cong had prepared a personal guard to guard against his potential trap. Needless to say, there were probably already ambushes at the docks. If he were to actually announce the imperial decree and bestow official titles, that would be fine. But if he wanted to play the trick of "capturing the leader and taking over his followers," he might just be hacked to pieces. It seemed that although Wei Cong was offering treasures and gold and behaving with utmost respect, he hadn't let his guard down at all. This suspicious nature didn't seem like that of an ignorant imperial student from the capital, but more like that of a chivalrous hero who had lived on the edge of the martial world.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Wei Cong bowed to Yuan Shao. "You must have had a long and arduous journey. Prefect Kong and I have prepared some wine and water at the Prefect's residence to welcome you. Please, Your Excellency, come and join us!"

"Then I'll trouble you!" Yuan Shao smiled. "Colonel Wei, Cao Cao and I grew up together since childhood, like brothers. Since you are familiar with him, there's no need for formalities between us. Let's address each other by our courtesy names!"

"Yes, sir!" Wei Cong replied. The two exchanged words and then disembarked together. Carriages and horses were already prepared on the shore. Wei Cong invited Yuan Shao to get into the carriage, but Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "I've traveled all the way by boat and am already exhausted. I just want to ride a horse and stretch my muscles!"

"Of course!" Wei Cong waved his hand, and his men brought over two horses. Wei Cong handed the reins of a yellow horse to Yuan Shao: "Benchu, this is the horse I usually ride. Although it's not a fine steed, it's quite stable. Please!"

"Thank you!" Yuan Shao skillfully mounted his horse, and Wei Cong quickly followed. Kong Gui, being older, rode in a carriage. Yuan and Wei rode side by side, with Wen Sheng leading seven or eight riders to clear the way, flanked by guards armed with spears and halberds. They crossed the stone-paved road of the dock, rode along Wuyang Street, and then turned into a narrower road, beginning their journey towards the small hill where the Prefect's residence was located. Upon seeing the flags of the Prefect and Wei Cong at the head of the procession, the people lining the road knelt down. Most remained silent, but it was clear that their silence stemmed from reverence rather than fear.

"Before I came here, Cao Cao told me that Panyu was a prosperous and peaceful place!" Yuan Shao turned his head and smiled at Wei Cong. "I thought he was exaggerating a bit, after all, we just finished a war! But now it seems that I was a bit presumptuous! Brother Wei is not only good at leading troops, but also has a knack for governing the people!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Wei Cong smiled. "Actually, it's not that I have any special abilities. Jiaozhou is rich in resources. With just a little effort, we can have countless riches!"

"Abundant produce?" Yuan Shao laughed. "This is the first time I've heard of such a place. I've only heard that Jiaozhou is plagued by miasma and has barren land, making it a place officials dread. At most, there are some rare goods from overseas. Brother Wei, aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

(End of this chapter)