Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 452 Decision

People from all sides arrived at the border one after another.

The atmosphere between the two countries also became tense. The State of Wei built a large number of fortified villages in the Zhongshan and Xiangguo areas, and focused most of its main forces on Hebei.

Just as war was about to break out, a memorial suddenly arrived from the south.

"I believe that the Northern Wei's national strength is less than two or three tenths of that of the Han Dynasty. Its borders are a thousand miles long from east to west. Now that the armies from all directions are marching north, the Northern Wei has mobilized all the able-bodied men in the country. Your Majesty can decide not to fight, but instead advance eastward and defend westward, or advance westward and defend eastward, making a show of force to keep them busy. Within a year, the Northern Wei's national strength will be exhausted, and popular uprisings will break out. Your Majesty can then destroy the Wei without bloodshed, saving the national strength to deal with the Rouran and Goguryeo..."

The signature was surprisingly Xie Hui.

When Sima Shangzhi rebelled, Liu Yixing used this case to wipe out the powerful and influential families of Jiangzuo, including Wang, Xie, Yu, Xi, Chu, and Yin, and exiled them to the south. Xie Yu, who had been taking Wushi San for many years, died halfway there. Xie Hun was injured by a wild animal and died less than half a year later.

The other families also suffered from death or illness, with very few survivors.

However, Xie Hui survived thanks to the protection of the Xie family clan.

His strategy has some merit.

The Northern Wei adopted a scorched-earth policy, with its army fiercely defending fortified cities such as Zhongshan, Xiangguo, Jinyang, and Shangdang. While the Han dynasty could have taken these cities, the losses to its national strength and the casualties among its soldiers would have been enormous.

The Wei army was not made of clay; the Northern Army suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Fangtou.

This time, the Wei army's defenses at the front are even more difficult to deal with.

"What a brilliant move to decide without fighting! Today we see another precious tree of the Xie family." Liu Daogui exclaimed in admiration.

Liu Muzhi said, "Xie Hui is quite resourceful, has keen talent and profound wisdom. Although he is a convict, his talent has not diminished."

The fact that he didn't offer a single word in his memorial to the throne to defend himself further demonstrates his intelligence.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Daogui said, "Since Heaven has not forsaken him, I will also give him a chance. Issue an order to establish the seven prefectures of Nanzhong as Dianzhou, and promote Xie Hui to the position of Prefect of Dianzhou, in charge of the affairs of Dianzhou."

Nanzhong is a loosely defined geographical concept that has been under the jurisdiction of seven prefectures: Zangke, Yuexi, Zhuti, Jianning, Yongchang, Yunnan, and Xinggu.

Its territory is no less than that of the entire southern Xinjiang region.

Liu Daogui simply integrated it into a prefecture to test Xie Hui's abilities.

He was promoted to Prefect of Dianzhou for his good governance, in preparation for his future transfer back to Chang'an.

Back in Jiangzuo, Xie Hui, together with his elder brother Liu Yu and Liu Muzhi, promoted the Yixi land reform. He was extremely talented, and his strategies were always accurate.

There are many fools and talented people among the elite families of Jiangzuo, but in that treacherous environment, everyone is scheming against each other, only concerned with vying for power and profit, and no one is putting their mind on important matters.

"Your Majesty is very generous." Liu Muzhi smiled wryly.

"Back then, the Xie family established the Northern Army and won the Battle of Fei River. The Xie family made contributions to China. What harm is there in me giving Xie Hui a chance?"

With the success of the Northern Expedition and the relocation of the capital to Chang'an, the foundation of the powerful families had been severed.

In the imperial court, a man from a humble background holds a key position.

Liu Muzhi, Liu Huaizhen, Gao Xun, and Feng Kai all came from humble backgrounds.

Among the military generals, apart from Wang Zhen'e, a down-on-his-luck nobleman from the Former Qin Dynasty, the others were all from humble backgrounds.

With the rise of military merit groups, the Han Dynasty could no longer fall into the old pattern of joint rule by powerful families in Jiangzuo.

However, it's not a good thing for a military clique to have absolute power. Any force that expands indefinitely will disrupt the balance and become a hidden danger.

After the capital was moved to Chang'an, the situation changed. It was no longer a conflict between the common people and the powerful, but between the Han and the non-Han peoples. The common people needed to be employed, and the gentry and the powerful also needed to unite. Therefore, Liu Daogui intentionally supported Xie Hui to balance the military merit group.

Only by maintaining internal stability can we free up resources to suppress the barbarians across the land.

Moreover, the powerful clans cannot be eradicated. Everyone will consider their descendants and scheme for their own family's future. After a few generations, noble families like Mao Dezhu, Wang Zhen'e, and Gao Xun will become new powerful clans. The only way to suppress them is through various means, just like in the Han Dynasty.

Xie Hui's strategy greatly increased the chances of success in this Northern Expedition.

Liu Daogui ordered all troops to remain stationary on the border, hold their positions, and make a show of force.

Just consume it.

After losing the Battle of Fangtou, the State of Wei was already weak. Now, with the implementation of the scorched earth policy, which mobilized all the able-bodied men in the country, its food and military supplies would inevitably be difficult to sustain.

One month, two months, three months, after only four months of stalemate, the Northern Wei could no longer endure it.

The spies reported that the Xianbei cavalry were requisitioning grain everywhere, capturing able-bodied men, and sending them to the front lines.

The Hu people of Shangdang jointly elected the powerful chieftain Liu Hu as their leader, who proclaimed himself the King of Shuaishan and attacked and plundered prefectures and counties.

The powerful clans of Shanggu County, Tian Jing and Hao Yun, rebelled, gathering three thousand followers, killing officials of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and responding to the call of the Han Dynasty.

However, Shanggu was located north of Zhongshan. Tuoba Si sent Shusun Jun to attack it, but the two were no match for him and led their troops to hide in the deep mountains.

The mutiny in Shanggu was easy to quell, but the Hu people in Shangdang were not so easy to subdue. The Hu tribes in Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Xihe counties all rose up in response to Liu Hu, and in just two months, their numbers snowballed to 70,000.

The Yongjia Rebellion all originated in Bingzhou, and Shangdang was the "birthplace" of the Hu people. Shi Le started with eighteen horsemen and then occupied the north and south of the Yellow River.

Subsequently, the Western Yan established its capital here and moved the Hu people from Guanzhong to this area, making the Hu people's power even stronger.

Although the Northern Wei were inhabited by Xianbei people, these nomadic peoples still refused to submit. When the Wei state was powerful, they remained patient and did not act rashly, but when the Wei state was weak, they immediately revealed their true colors.

Tuoba Si sent Tuoba Mohun to lead troops to conquer Liu Hu, but the war did not go smoothly. Liu Hu was running around everywhere, and Tuoba Mohun was exhausted from chasing after him.

After the autumn harvest in the second year of Yuanwu, Liu Daogui ordered Wang Zhen'e to lead 60,000 infantry and cavalry from Qin and Liang down the Yellow River to attack Shuofang County, while the other forces remained inactive for the time being.

Wang Zhen'e was as fierce as his name suggested when he fought. In less than half a month, he broke through Jilu Pass, advanced rapidly, and successively captured Xiudu, Yuhun, Qusou and other cities, beheading more than 4,000 people. His army was heading straight for Wuyuan County.

Wuyuan was once the stronghold of the Tuoba clan. If this place is lost, the entire area south of Yinshan will fall.

Wang Zhen'e made a big show of force, showing that he was going to launch a fierce attack on Wuyuan. Tuoba Si had no choice but to mobilize another 20,000 cavalry to support him.

The state of Wei is now in a state of constant leaks.

Seeing that the time was right, Liu Daogui immediately ordered all troops to launch a full-scale attack.

With an army of 400,000 men, divided into five routes, traveling from east to west, it would take at least two months for news to travel back and forth. It was impossible for them to achieve the elite status Xie Hui envisioned.

However, the State of Wei is currently embroiled in internal strife and is in a state of utter distress.

On the other hand, the Han Dynasty was also struggling to cope with the months of stalemate, as the provisions prepared by the 200,000 volunteer soldiers and 100,000 garrison soldiers had long been exhausted.

They had no choice but to be supplied by the imperial court.

Sixty percent of the grain and fodder transported from the Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and Guanzhong regions to the front lines had already been consumed before the fighting even began.

However, these costs were worthwhile; for every soldier who survived, the strength of the Han Dynasty would be preserved.

(End of this chapter)