Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 285 The Han Army Pacifies the South in Three Routes

October 29th, the first year of the Hanxing era.

In the main camp outside the city of Bidao in Jianwei Commandery, 20,000 good men recruited from Hanzhong Commandery, Ba Commandery, Guanghan Commandery, Guanghan State, Shu Commandery, Shu State and Jianwei Commandery in northern Yizhou gathered here. In addition, there were 10,000 soldiers from various commanderies and states in northern Yizhou, and 10,000 brave warriors of the Cong people.

The strongest force was the 10,000 warriors who had almost emptied the resources of the Ba people. Each of them was equipped with a tough shield made of clay lacquer, which is the "shield" in the Ba people's name "Ban Shun Man". Their weapons included swords, spears, spears, halberds, slingshots, belt hooks, and an astonishing number of crossbows.

The Ba people were skilled in battle, not only because of their superior individual soldiers and their diverse array of weapons. In terms of weaponry, even if the Ba people developed for another thousand years, they would still not be a match for the Han people.

The real reason why the Ba people displayed extraordinary fighting power on the battlefield was their "Bayu Dance" that has been passed down from ancient times!
The Ba people are a group that loves singing and dancing. Their Bayu dance involves several people beating a bronze drum while men and women hold hands, singing and dancing at the same time.

At the climax of the performance, the bronze drums beat loudly, men and women sang energetically, and the dancers, holding crossbows, moved in neat and powerful steps, mimicking an army marching towards the enemy.

This has practically turned dance into drills!

Insightful generals understand one thing: if an army is to be effective on the battlefield, the primary training should not be individual soldier skills, but rather improving obedience!
Only when the army has a high degree of obedience will it follow military orders, and only then can it form a battle formation.

An army that has formed a battle formation can often crush an army that has not formed a battle formation and relies solely on the individual skills of its soldiers!

This is why the fighting skills of Qi cannot match those of Wei's elite infantry!
The Ba-Yu dance is the battle formation of the Ba people!
With their battle formations based on the Ba-Yu dance almost ingrained in their very being, the Ba people are highly organized. Coupled with their inherent ferocity and courage, their battle formations are extremely difficult to break.

Of course, this is why the Ba people had only encountered troops from prefectures and kingdoms in the past. If they encountered an opponent like the Central Army, whose strength was far inferior, as long as they dared to form ranks and fight instead of going deep into the mountains and forests to fight guerrilla warfare, then it was nothing special.

In contrast, Yizhou is a land of plenty and rarely gets involved in wars. Although each prefecture still maintains a force of about three thousand men due to the presence of many barbarians in Yizhou, their fighting strength can be described as weak.

Only Hanzhong Commandery, due to its proximity to Liangzhou, and the centuries-long Qiang rebellion, has made Hanzhong the gateway to Yizhou and the birthplace of the Han Dynasty. It has to maintain a certain level of military strength and training of its commandery soldiers, whose combat effectiveness far exceeds that of ordinary commandery soldiers. Moreover, it maintains a quota of 5,000 commandery soldiers according to the standards of border commanderies.

Now that Liangzhou is stable, Hanzhong Commandery has only 1000 men left to guard the key passes. Ba Commandery, Guanghan Commandery, Shu Commandery, and Jianwei Commandery have each drawn 1250 men, and Guanghan Commandery and Shu Commandery have each drawn 500 men, for a total of 10,000 men.

Hanzhong Commandery, Ba Commandery, Guanghan Commandery, Guanghan State, Shu Commandery, and Jianwei Commandery
The last 20,000 men were from good families in Yizhou. Even though they were equipped with short weapons suitable for mountain warfare, Jia Cong's assessment of their fighting ability was that they were only barely usable.

They are better than the troops of the commanderies and kingdoms, and their only advantage is that the supply rate of bows and crossbows reaches 50%.

In mountain warfare, nothing is more practical than the bow and crossbow, but the cost is enormous logistical pressure.

But the emperor told Jia Cong, "Just charge forward like a pig and don't worry about logistics!"
The entire treasury and armory of the Han Dynasty are open to you. There will never be a shortage of weapons, provisions, or medicines. Even if the national treasury is empty, my personal treasury will still have money!

A subsidy of billions from the Emperor of Han Dynasty is right behind you!
Jia Cong was greatly amazed, lamenting that he had never fought such a lucrative battle in his life.

The retired emperor certainly liked ministers who won battles, but only if they didn't spend too much money, otherwise he would still be unhappy.

If they're unhappy, they might make things difficult for you, only granting you the title of a village marquis instead of a township marquis, as if they're blaming you for the extra military expenses.

When Zhu Jun served as the governor of Jiaozhou and quelled the rebellion of the Jiaozhou barbarians, he was able to be enfeoffed as the Marquis of Duting with 1,800 households in one battle because he accomplished the task without receiving a single penny from the central government.

But the retired emperor regretted it after he recovered from his shock. He felt that granting Zhu Jun 1,800 households in a moment of impulsiveness was too generous a reward, and he felt sorry for these fiefs. So he found a pretext to take them all away from him.

Under what pretext? Anyway, Zhu Jun liked to associate with scholars, so he often hung out with the partisans.

Colluding with party members—isn't that a ready-made excuse?
I am benevolent and, considering that you, Zhu Gongwei, are a meritorious official, I have stripped you of all your fiefs and demoted you to the rank of Imperial Consultant. Isn't that fair?

However, the current emperor is completely different; he is willing to spend money!

This is not about militarism, but rather because the current emperor firmly believes that human life is more precious than money.

Money can be earned back; once the war is won, there's no need to worry about money.
Moreover, the money invested by both the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Agriculture over the years has gradually yielded returns in various regions.

The Shaofu's sugar, silk, tea shops, and restaurants, along with the water conservancy projects funded by the Dasinong Department, all contribute to the increasing revenue of the Shaofu and the national treasury, which are all backed by the army.

But once a person dies, they cannot be brought back to life.

The emperor was not ignorant of the principle that one should not command troops out of compassion, but he believed that casualties not caused by combat were completely unnecessary.

What moved Jia Cong the most was the Hanxing Sword.

Who doesn't know the political significance of the Hanxing Sword? It grants the qualification to live and die with the nation!
As long as you don't rebel, you can become a wealthy man no matter how badly you do!
Even if the Han Dynasty were to suffer misfortune one day... it would still be a family heirloom for future generations, an honor that would make the family famous throughout history, and future generations would still value this family.

Therefore, who wouldn't dream of obtaining a Hanxing sword?
However, there were a total of twelve Hanxing swords, and Jia Cong never thought he had any hope. He was neither a former official of the emperor's former residence nor a confidant of the emperor, so how could he dare to have any improper thoughts about that Hanxing sword?
But who would have thought that the emperor would be so generous as to actually bestow the Hanxing Sword upon him!
Although it was only a temporary grant, and the power to execute officials of the rank of two thousand shi without prior approval was only a one-time thing, this heavy trust left Jia Cong completely bewildered. Even if the emperor ordered him to die on the battlefield, he would be willing to do so!

What else can I say? Damn it!
The opportunity to retire with the nation is right in front of him. If he fails to seize this opportunity, he'll slap himself twice in the middle of the night!

In the Bodao camp, Jia Cong sat on a folding chair, with the Hanxing sword lying across his thigh.

Suddenly, Jia Cong's face turned red, and he looked pained. He spat repeatedly onto the ground, his saliva containing some dark red particles. Then, he quickly took the water bag handed to him by his guard and gulped down several mouthfuls. He rinsed his mouth repeatedly before sitting back down on the couch, panting heavily.

After a long silence, Jia Cong's trembling finger pointed to a group of officers whose shoulders were shaking and who were trying not to laugh, and he said weakly, "How can you Yizhou people get used to eating this damn pepper?"

Sichuan pepper is no longer intentionally cultivated in Yizhou; it grows everywhere in the wild. It can be used in medicine and to make wine, but it is slightly poisonous and should not be consumed in large quantities.

Jia Cong tasted another variety of Sichuan pepper, which grew in Ba County and was called Ba pepper. It was several times spicier than ordinary Sichuan pepper.

Jia Cong was not a person who could eat spicy food, but he often tasted spicy food in Jiaozhou. Jiaozhou had konjac (a type of betel leaf), which was a creeping plant with leaves that resembled those of a cucumber but were thicker and larger. It grew on trees along the coast and in the forests.

The local people of Jiaozhou taught him to use this to prevent miasma. Although it has a spicy taste, it is sweeter.

There is also water knotweed (Polygonum hydropiper), which grows by the water. Its stems are red and have a pungent taste. Fishermen use the fresh leaves to rub the belly of fish as a substitute for salt.

But the spiciness of this Sichuan pepper is far superior to that of konjac sauce or hot pepper.

Pu Hu grabbed a few peppers from the earthenware jar and stuffed them into his mouth. He chewed them without changing his expression and laughed loudly, "General Zhenxi must learn to chew chili peppers, otherwise the miasma in the south will be unbearable."

Du Huo and Yuan Yue, the Marquis of the Eastern and Western Cong respectively, also chuckled and chewed a few peppercorns, teasing their commander, Jia Cong. Even the usually refined and easygoing Zhao Wen was no exception.

"Well, so you all ganged up on me and tried to humiliate me, huh?" Jia Cong smiled and pointed at the crowd, but there was no sign of anger on his face.

Although it was said in jest, what Park Hu said was indeed true. Upon entering the South, Sichuan pepper was an essential item for the soldiers.

These Sichuan peppercorns are harvested in autumn when the fruit is ripe, dried, and then preserved after the seeds and impurities are removed. They are cheaper than rice bran, so the army has prepared a lot of them.

For abdominal pain due to cold, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain due to intestinal parasites, dried Sichuan pepper can be taken or boiled in water and drunk.

If it is eczema, grind it into pepper powder and apply it to the affected area.

However, not everyone in Yizhou liked Sichuan pepper. Jia Cong served as governor of Jiaozhou twice and obtained many local remedies from the local barbarians and natives. One of these remedies was quite effective, and the raw materials were common in Yizhou and inexpensive.

Take fifty plums, one dou of purslane, and half a sheng of yellow soil from the hearth. There are many plum groves in Yizhou. In summer, people pick the plums and make them into dried plums for preservation. Purslane is a wild grass that can be seen everywhere, not to mention the yellow soil from the hearth.

Squeeze the juice from purslane and boil it with plums. Mix the resulting paste with yellow soil from the hearth, then knead it by hand into pills. Taking these pills can stop vomiting and diarrhea, while applying them externally can stop dampness-related ailments.

"Alright, enough joking. It's time to discuss military matters. Tomorrow is the last day of the month, so let's do a final check today to make sure all the supplies and equipment in each unit are complete."

As Jia Cong spoke and his expression grew increasingly serious, everyone stopped laughing and responded to him with solemnity. Even the three Guiyi Marquises of the Cong people sat up straight, looking like obedient children listening to their fathers' teachings.

Zhao Wen, the general who pacified Shu, couldn't help but admire Jia Cong's methods. In recent days, Jia Cong had used his personal charm and ability to subdue the Ba people. As the former governor of Ba Commandery, he knew all too well the difficulty involved.

When everyone first met Jia Cong, they were all somewhat reserved.

Then, Jia Cong, who had only been familiar with the situation for a few days, was suddenly appointed as General Who Guards the West, Marquis of Weixiang with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain, and granted the "Hanxing Sword," which allowed him to execute officials of two thousand piculs of grain without prior approval.

However, Jia Cong was a very bold and unrestrained person. Although he came from the Jia family of Dongjun, a family with a perennial salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and whose family had passed down the "Zuo Zhuan" (a commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals), Jia Cong admired Wei Qing and Huo Qubing from a young age and dreamed of one day riding across the grasslands.

No one expected that Jia Cong really had this talent. He was skilled in archery and horsemanship from a young age and was also well-versed in military strategy. In the north, he had defeated all the Qiang and Hu tribes except for the Qiang and Hu tribes. In the south, he also dealt with the Jiaozhou barbarians one by one.

However, Jia Cong was not a reckless brute, but a wise general who combined appeasement with military might. Over the years, as he made friends with many barbarians, his already bold and unrestrained nature became less like that of scholars from the ancient literary aristocratic family of the Jia clan of Dongjun. He also had no airs when interacting with the Cong people.

At the age of forty-eight, he also went into the arena to wrestle with several chieftains of the Ba people, knocking down several of them. He also personally applied ointment to the Ba people who were injured during the wrestling and training, and taught them some of the mountain and forest warfare techniques they had learned from the Jiaozhou barbarians.

The Ba people are simple and honest by nature, highly Sinicized, and have a strong sense of identification with the Han Dynasty.

Faced with such a commander who was approachable, did not discriminate against the Ba people, could get along with them, and even showed some real skills, the Ba people also loved and respected him from the bottom of their hearts.

Of course, the most important thing is that Jia Cong has real skills.

Jia Cong's series of deployments after assuming command can be summed up in two words in the eyes of everyone.

specialized!

The most frightening thing on the battlefield is a commander who is incompetent. It is far more terrifying for your own fools to use their brains than for the enemy's famous generals to use their brains.

Jia Cong ordered his men to hang up a giant map made up of several cowhide maps, and then, holding a wooden spear, he pointed to the map, which showed their current location—Bidao County, Jianwei Prefecture.

This is the forward base chosen by Jia Cong. Yuexi County is blocked by towering mountains, making it difficult for the Yuexi barbarians to cross the mountains to harass the rear of the Han army. Similarly, it is difficult for the Han army to cross this natural barrier to directly attack Yuexi. Therefore, using Bodao as a forward base means that there is no need to worry about the Yuexi barbarians harassing the supply lines.

On the 30th day of the tenth month of the first year of the Hanxing era, there was heavy snow.

Although the Great Snow solar term has arrived, the Qinling Mountains, stretching for thousands of miles, keep the cold winds from the north away from this land of abundance.

The temperature in Gyeonggi County was only slightly cold, not cold enough to warrant snowfall.

In the four southern prefectures of Yuexi, Zangke, Yizhou, and Yongchang, apart from some mountainous areas, the temperatures in many plains and forest areas were even pleasantly warm, like springtime.

On this very day, Jia Cong led his troops to officially launch the southern campaign.

Jia Cong divided his army into four parts: Zhao Ang, the governor of Yizhou, led 7,000 soldiers from various prefectures and kingdoms to garrison at Bidao, while tens of thousands of laborers were assigned to ensure the army's logistical support.

With Zhao Wen as the central army, he dispatched 3,000 soldiers from Hanzhong Commandery, 3,000 soldiers from Yizhou, and 2,000 brave warriors from the Congxi Marquis Yuan Yue, leading a total of 8,000 troops. They slowly passed through the Jianwei vassal state and advanced towards Yizhou Commandery, not seeking merit, but only to attract the main force of the Yizhou rebels.

Yan Yan, the General in charge of suppressing the bandits, led a detachment as the Eastern Route Army, with 5,000 troops from Yizhou and 3,000 troops under Du Huo, the Marquis of Congdong, totaling 8,000 men. They marched southeast along the Southern Barbarian Road built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, directly attacking Qielan, the capital of Zangke Commandery, and striking directly at the rebellious powerful clans led by the Zhu family of Zangke.

Jia Cong himself led the main force as the western route army, with his 12,000 Yizhou soldiers and 5,000 Cong people under the command of Cong Yi Hou Pu Hu as the vanguard, crossing the Bei River to directly attack Yuexi County.

Once the left and right armies have completed their objectives, they will then launch a pincer attack on Yizhou County and Yongchang County.

Jia Cong's strategy was to start with the weak and then move to the strong. Among the four southern prefectures, Yizhou Prefecture was the strongest, while the two rebel armies of the Gao clan of Yuexi, the Man of Yuexi, and the Zhu clan of Zangke were not very strong.

With lightning speed, they first cut off the flanks of the rebel army in the south, and then, with the momentum of a great victory, launched a three-pronged attack on the rebel army in Yizhou County.

This strategic plan was approved by the imperial court, although both the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Liu Tao and the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Yang Xu believed that Jia Cong was taking too much risk.

Faced with the Southern rebels who had a numerical advantage, splitting their forces could lead to their defeat one by one. They believed that even if they could not pacify the Southern rebels before the summer of next year, it would be much better to concentrate their forces and occupy one prefecture than to struggle to make progress in all three prefectures.

Grand Tutor Lu Zhi and General Huangfu Song expressed their support for Jia Cong. Although the two were only discussing military strategy on paper with rough maps and their understanding of the geography and other intelligence of the south was far inferior to that of the soldiers on the front lines, Jia Cong dared to send troops south because the four counties in the south were not completely occupied by the rebels.

Scouts discovered that in Zangke Commandery, which is closest to Jianwei Commandery, the three counties of Pingyi, Bixian, and Yelang, located on the northern border of Zangke Commandery, are still stubbornly resisting the rebels, and the flames of resistance against the rebels are also burning in Yizhou Commandery.

Although news of Yuexi and Yongchang counties, which are isolated by towering mountains, is unknown, Jia Cong believes that while some may have surrendered to the rebels out of fear of death, others must be willing to uphold their loyalty and defend the isolated city to the death for the sake of the Han Dynasty!
(4736 words)
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PS: This route is actually the same route Zhuge Liang took during his "Crossing the Lu River in May" campaign in southern China.

However, Li Hui in history was unlucky. He was originally a decoy force, with only three to five thousand weak troops. He won the first battle but was defeated and surrounded by an enemy force that was nearly ten times his size.

Then, because Li Hui was a local strongman in Yizhou, he gained the trust of the rebels and said that he had long harbored resentment against Shu Han and wanted to lead this army to rebel with the rebels.

Li Hui's maternal family was also among the rebels, so he immediately gained their trust. Taking advantage of the rebels' relaxed vigilance and the withdrawal of the encirclement, he launched a counterattack and repelled the rebels.

(End of this chapter)