Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 448 Country

After the rewards were announced, the generals had nothing to say.

After all, the credit is all recorded.

However, some people still felt indignant. The mother, Xiao Wenshou, came to the door with a cane, saying, "One should not forget one's roots. If it weren't for your brother, would you be alive today? When we attacked Jiankang, it was your brother who fought to the death and was seriously wounded."

Liu Daolian chimed in, “That’s right. I have done a great job governing the region. I should at least be granted a fiefdom. It’s better to keep the benefits within the family. But you just gave me a county duke. Aren’t you afraid of the people of Jingkou gossiping about you?”

"Isn't this a title bestowed upon Yilong as Duke of Song?"

“How can I convince the people if I have a name but no substance?” Xiao Wenshou cried, tears streaming down his face.

Liu Daolian seized the opportunity to say, "It's not that I'm criticizing you, but you're so generous to outsiders and so stingy to your own family."

If it weren't for his elderly mother being there, Liu Daogui would have already ordered the guards to throw him out.

Even if one is an emperor, one's parents are still one's parents, and one cannot disobey them.

"To establish a fiefdom is simple. Bring me the map." Liu Daogui waved his hand.

The imperial guards brought in a map, which was different from the previous maps. It covered the Western Regions, the Qiang region, the northern desert, Liaodong, Goguryeo, and the Linyi region.

Liu Daolian's eyes lit up. He rushed ahead and drew a large circle around Pengcheng with his finger, including Guangling, Shouchun, Xiapi, Lucheng, and Lanling. "I only need these cities and lands."

Liu Daogui sneered, "Brother, you've seized my foundation, are you perhaps preparing to rebel?"

He seized the most fertile land in the Jianghuai region and simply ate what was already there.

This time, Xiao Wenshou didn't show him any favoritism, but rebuked him, saying, "A-Lian, what merit do you have to occupy such a large piece of land? Who will serve you in the future?"

"I am the elder brother of the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, who dares to disobey me?" Liu Daolian tore off a tiger skin to make a coat.

Liu Daogui rolled his eyes. So many years have passed, and he has not only not changed, but has become even more greedy.

Xiao Wenshou frowned and ignored him. "The world is yours, you can decide for yourself. Just don't mistreat your nephews, they are also of the Liu family bloodline."

With these words, Liu Daogui felt relieved and pointed to Goguryeo, saying, "I wish to restore the Song Dynasty here. What do you think, Mother?"

"This place is too desolate..."

"No, this place has fertile land and rugged mountains. Goguryeo has occupied this place for more than 300 years. The people are prosperous and the country is rich. It has become a powerful country. Ui-ryong is very capable. If he can establish a country here, it will be a great achievement for the Han Dynasty and he will surely be remembered for all time."

If the Song state were to establish itself in the Central Plains, internal strife would inevitably arise sooner or later. Based on observations over the past few years, Liu Yilong is the most capable and virtuous among his nephews, which is why Liu Daogui chose him to succeed the Duke of Song.

"This is a matter of great national importance; you can make the decision yourself, as long as you don't mistreat your nephews." Xiao Wenshou wasn't one to argue unreasonably. "However, when will that be?"

"After destroying the Northern Wei, I will definitely send troops to Liaodong."

The Goguryeo of today is no longer the small country it was during the Han and Wei dynasties. It absorbed the Jin people who fled from Hebei, and adopted the prefecture and county system of the Central Plains, setting up governors. With fishing, hunting, farming and fighting, its national strength has continued to increase, and it has become the hegemon of Liaodong.

The threat to the Central Plains is growing.

According to news brought back by merchants, Goguryeo also had armored cavalry.

Without sufficient national strength and technological development, it's impossible to create something like this. The Xiongnu people played with cavalry for hundreds of years, but they never created armored cavalry.

This shows that Goguryeo was no ordinary country.

Even Goguryeo's ancient records acknowledge that "the Goguryeo people are the descendants of the four commanderies of the Han Dynasty." Their ancestor Jumong was originally a soldier in Goguryeo County of Xuantu Commandery in the Western Han Dynasty. After fleeing to the Buyeo tribe, he grew and prospered.

"And me?" Liu Daolian asked impatiently.

Liu Daogui pointed to the Lin-yi Kingdom, the southernmost kingdom on the continent, and said, "Brother, you are skilled at plundering. The Lin-yi Kingdom is rich, with mountains of rare treasures. How about you become the King of Yue someday?"

Liu Daolian's face was long and tears were welling up in his eyes. "Your Majesty, if I have offended you in any way, you may beat or kill me as you please. Why must you exile this old man to a desolate land?"

He cried so bitterly that even Xiao Wenshou was stunned. "Agui, he is, after all, your brother..."

Liu Daogui admired his acting skills, but there was no room for negotiation on this matter. "If you don't want it, then you can obediently become the Duke of Changsha. The annual fief of two thousand households is enough for you to live a life of wealth and honor."

In the Han Dynasty, all titles of nobility were nominal, with corresponding fiefs.

“Ah Lian, your brother is only doing this for your own good. During your time as the prefect of Tangyi, you were corrupt and lawless, and the villagers have all come to me to complain.”

Although Xiao Wenshou doted on Liu Daolian, he did not spoil him and knew what kind of person this son was.

Rumors had long circulated in Jingkou and Guangling, comparing the three Liu brothers to "a dragon, a tiger, and a rat." Even people from their hometown disliked them, which showed just how bad their reputation was.

However, to be fair, his sons Liu Yixin, Liu Yiqing, Liu Yirong, and Liu Yizong were all accomplished in both literature and martial arts. Liu Yixin, at a young age, was already well-known for his calm temperament, diligence, courage, and decisiveness. He, along with Liu Yiwu and Liu Zunkao, were known as the Three Tiger Sons of the Liu Family.

If it weren't for the fact that they all have the Liu family's faces and outstanding height, Liu Daogui would really doubt whether they were his children.

Liu Zunkao was the son of his uncle Liu Juanzi. He inherited the bravery and skill in battle from the Liu family of Pengcheng. He was known as the bravest man in the army. At a young age, he had already become a rising star in the army. He participated in the Battle of Fangtou and the Western Expedition. Based on his military achievements, he became a subordinate general under Mao Dezhu.

Liu Daolian's eyes flickered. "Fine, grant me Jiankang, I don't want Yue."

“You can’t go anywhere. You’ll stay in Chang’an from now on and move your family here.” Liu Daogui said, exasperated.

He did not want to establish a kingdom, nor did he care about his sons.

“Mother…” Liu Daolian looked at Xiao Wenshou, tears welling up in her eyes.

Xiao Wenshou sighed, "Let your brother arrange it. If you go to Jiankang and the villagers talk behind your back, where will the Liu family put their face?"

"I..." Liu Daolian looked utterly dejected.

Liu Daogui was secretly pleased, but put on an imperial demeanor and said, "Do you have anything else? If not, you may leave."

Having said all that, the matter was now settled, and Liu Daolian wisely bowed, saying, "Your subject... takes his leave."

Just as Liu Daogui was preparing to invite Xiao Wenshou to dinner, Meng Ganzhi rushed over, bowed to Liu Daogui and Xiao Wenshou, and hesitated before saying, "Your Majesty, facing south..."

"This is a matter of great importance to the nation and the people. It is inconvenient for an old woman like me to be present. You all should discuss it." Xiao Wenshou led a group of maids away.

"Take care, Mother." Liu Daogui saw her out of the East Hall before turning back. "Could it be that there's a rebellion in Jiaozhou and Guangzhou?"

The weakest points of the Han Dynasty's rule were Jiaoguang and Jiangdong.

These were indeed former fiefdoms of the Song state, and the governors and generals were all former subordinates of Liu Yu.

"It was not a rebellion, but the Lin-yi Kingdom sent 50,000 troops to attack the counties of Rinan, Jiuzhen, Jiude and others. The rebels were numerous and killed more than 13,000 of our border people. Du Huidu, the governor of Jiaozhou, submitted a memorial requesting assistance."

"What did you say?" Liu Daogui's anger flared up instantly.

He had only been on the throne for a few days, and before he could even settle into his seat, the Kingdom of Linyi attacked.

Linyi Kingdom was originally Xianglin County during the Han Dynasty. It was the place where Ma Yuan cast the pillar. It was three thousand li away from the South China Sea. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the county official surnamed Qu was in charge of the county. His son, Lian, killed the magistrate of Xianglin County and established himself as king. His descendants succeeded him. His grandson, Fan Xiong, succeeded him. He was fierce and brave in battle. He was good at mountains and rivers and not good at flat land.

Since Sun Quan's time, they have not paid tribute to China, and have turned the Han people into barbarians. During the Yixi era (405-415), they raided the counties of Rinan, Jiuzhen, and Jiude every year, committing all kinds of atrocities such as burning, killing, raping, and looting.

They originally planned to destroy the Northern Wei before sending troops to deal with Linyi, but now they have come to them on their own initiative.

Liu Daogui immediately summoned Liu Muzhi, Feng Kai, Yin Zhongwen and others to discuss the matter.

Feng Kai said, “The Han people in Jiaozhou are already few in number. The repeated invasions by Linyi have become a major threat. Jiaozhou has fertile land. If it is taken by Linyi, a powerful country will surely emerge in the south. Not only will Lingnan be in danger, but Jiangdong and Jingxiang will also be disturbed.”

Liu Muzhi said, "Linyi has great ambitions. If we do not send troops to punish them, they will become even more rampant."

Surprisingly, no one objected to sending troops this time.

Those who can sit in the East Hall are all outstanding figures of their time, and they can all see the dangers posed by the Kingdom of Linyi.

"With your words, I am relieved. This time, there is no need to use the Tiger Guard Army. I appoint Tan Pingzhi as the Imperial Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Guangzhou, and lead the Jingzhou army to join forces with the naval commander Liu Zhong, the governor of Guangzhou Sun Chu, and the governor of Jiaozhou Du Huidu to march south and attack Linyi!"

Liu Daogui gave the order decisively.

The Tiger Guard Army absorbed a large number of Yan and Qin troops from the north, and was not accustomed to the climate and water of Lingnan.

However, most of Tan Pingzhi's troops, who were stationed in Xiangyang, were from the Jingxiang region, and Liu Zhong's navy was also mostly composed of people from the Jiangdong area. The southern climate and environment had little impact on them.

The two forces together number over 26,000. Adding Sun Chu and Du Huidu's troops, dealing with the 50,000-strong Lin Yi savage army should not be too difficult.

Tan Pingzhi and Liu Zhong were both veteran generals. Along the way, they went directly from the Yangtze River into the Xiang River, then into the Ling Canal into the Yu River (Pearl River), and finally to Guangzhou. From there, they took a sea route to Jiaozhi City.

The Kingdom of Lin-yi is like a long, narrow scimitar lying across the South Seas. As long as its navy is strong, it can have an absolute advantage.

Another major advantage of traveling by water is that it avoids passing through jungles and coming into contact with miasma, using the sea as a supply route.

Liu Daogui placed unprecedented importance on the navy, and in recent years he has built as many as a hundred multi-storied ships.

Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it out for a spin.

The major battle in the south did not significantly affect the north's efforts to recuperate and strengthen its forces. The Lin-yi Kingdom was facing the national strength of the Han Dynasty south of the Yangtze River.

(End of this chapter)