The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 102: The Campaign Against the Six Counties of Youzhou – Zhuge Liang Is About to Unleash His Power (5 Updates)
"With the help of my two uncles, my mission is accomplished!"

"The tens of thousands of people who followed me north to Zhuoxian will also be grateful for the kindness of my two uncles!"

Liu Bei happily shook hands with Liu Su and Liu Shi.

After arriving in Zhuo County, the biggest problem became how to settle the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians who followed Liu Bei northward.

Liu Bei did not want to disperse tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians to the seven counties of Zhuojun.

Tens of thousands of people endured hardships on their journey from Xiapi to Zhuoxian, only to be "abandoned" by Liu Bei upon arrival. This is unreasonable and does not make sense.

The safest approach would be to concentrate tens of thousands of people in Zhuo County and implement standardized management through land reclamation.

This would allow tens of thousands of people to feel Liu Bei's care and also achieve food self-sufficiency.

Zhuge Liang also had experience in how to establish military farms.

If Zhuge Liang had not died of illness due to overwork at Wuzhang Plains, the outcome of his battle against Sima Yi would have been uncertain had his Wuzhang Plains land reclamation plan been successfully implemented.

Although Zhuoxian County had a lot of wasteland, the smooth implementation of the military-agricultural settlement still depended on the support of the clan forces in Zhuoxian County.

The clan's influence in Zhuo County is deep-rooted and has a great impact on the people, land, and order of the grassroots society. The implementation of the military-agricultural settlement program will involve the relocation and resettlement of a large number of people, the redistribution of land, and the allocation of resources, which will inevitably change the original pattern.

If they cannot obtain the support of the clan forces in Zhuo County, even if they dare not openly disobey Liu Bei, they will find ways to obstruct them in secret, which will be extremely detrimental to the land reclamation plan.

In addition, the clan forces in Zhuoxian County have a deep understanding of the local water sources, soil, climate, and customs, which can provide effective experience and coordination in the specific site selection, farming arrangements, and labor organization for land reclamation.

Most importantly, Liu Bei was not Cao Cao. He could neither use bloody means to suppress the clan forces in Zhuo County, nor could he implement a system of land reclamation similar to serfdom like Cao Cao, which would hurt the feelings of tens of thousands of people.

The sudden visit of Liu Su and Liu Shi came just in time to relieve Liu Bei's urgent crisis.

Whether it was welcoming him with open arms or urgently ordering Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong to a banquet to accompany him, it was all in order to gain the support of the Liu family of Zhuo County!
Although the Liu family of Zhuoxian has declined, it still maintains close ties with other clans in Zhuoxian.

The world is bustling with activity, all driven by the pursuit of profit.

A declining Liu family in Zhuo County could not bring enough benefits to the various clans in Zhuo County.

However, with Liu Bei's support, the Liu clan of Zhuo County was able to bring sufficient benefits to the various clans in Zhuo County.

Liu Bei wanted to use the Liu family of Zhuo County as a bridge to gain the support of various clans in Zhuo County, so that tens of thousands of people could settle and cultivate land in Zhuo County smoothly.

Subsequently.

Liu Bei frankly told Liu Su and Liu Shi about his plan to establish military settlements in Zhuo County, and hoped that the two of them could help him contact the various clans in Zhuo County.

The promised benefits were that after settling tens of thousands of people, Liu Bei would send troops to conquer the rebellious forces in Dai Commandery, Shanggu Commandery, Guangyang Commandery, Yuyang Commandery, Youbeiping Commandery, and Liaoxi Commandery. After pacifying the commanderies, he would give priority to recruiting the sons of the various clans as officials or clerks.

Although they had anticipated that Liu Bei would not obediently serve as the governor of Zhuojun appointed by Yuan Shao, Liu Bei's words still startled Liu Su and Liu Shi.

Liu Su hurriedly advised, “Yan Rou of Guangyang Commandery has always maintained close ties with the Wuhuan and Xianbei of Shanggu; Xianyu Fu of Dai Commandery is also on good terms with the Wuhuan and Yan Rou of Shanggu. If we were to attack Yan Rou, Xianyu Fu would certainly not stand idly by; Wang Song of Yuyang was once a subordinate of Liu Yu, and he has many elite soldiers under his command. Moreover, he often interacts with the Wuhuan of the three commanderies (Youbeiping, Liaoxi, and Liaodong). Even after the General defeated Gongsun Zan, he only sent envoys to the various commanderies to make peace with Xianyu Fu, Yan Rou, Wang Song, as well as Nanlou, Tadun, and others. In order to gain the support of the Wuhuan of the three commanderies, the General even married a woman from the Yuan family to the three kings of Tadun, Supuyan, and Wuyan.”

"Moreover, many people in the various clans of Zhuo County have private connections with Xianyu Fu, Yan Rou, Wang Song, and the kings of Wuhuan. Leaking the matter of conquering the various prefectures to them is tantamount to letting them tip off the enemy."

"I know that Xuande has great ambitions, and I am willing to help Xuande settle the tens of thousands of people who have gone north to Zhuo County, and to quell the unrest in the various prefectures. I urge Xuande to reconsider!"

Liu Shi also advised, "Xuande has just arrived and it is not advisable to contend with the other prefectures. I have some old friends in Zhuo County, and it should not be difficult to disperse and settle the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians that Xuande has brought. Xuande, please think carefully about the matter of conquering the other prefectures!"

"I have indeed benefited greatly from your teachings today!" Liu Bei bowed to thank them first, then changed the subject: "Now that I have come to Zhuojun, there can only be one voice in Youzhou! Regardless of whether I settle those tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, I will conquer all the counties. If anyone tips me off, well—that's just what I want!"

Liu Su and Liu Shi were even more astonished and looked at Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

Because Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong had just demonstrated their extraordinary talent and wisdom, the two subconsciously assumed that they would advise Liu Bei to reconsider.

However, what Liu Su and Liu Shi did not know was that the plan to conquer the counties of Youzhou was originally presented to Liu Bei by Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

Zhuge Liang, in particular, knew the course of the Battle of Guandu.

Although Zhuge Liang's intervention changed many things that year, the power dynamics between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao did not actually change significantly because of Zhuge Liang.

Even Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were not dead, were forcibly transferred back to Ye City by Yuan Shao to serve as guards for Yuan Shang because of their failed assassination attempt on Liu Bei.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Battle of Guandu will likely proceed as it was in my memory.

Zhuge Liang's plan was to take advantage of the battle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao at Guandu to help Liu Bei first annex the forces of Xianyu Fu of Dai Commandery, Yan Rou of Guangyang Commandery, and Wang Song of Yuyang Commandery, and then join forces with Tian Chou of Youbeiping Commandery to cripple the Wuhuan people of the three commanderies.

By then.

Even if Yuan Shao miraculously defeated Cao Cao, Liu Bei was still able to rival Yuan Shao by relying on the unified Youzhou prefectures.

If Yuan Shao had lost the Battle of Guandu as remembered, his power would have been weakened, and he would have been even less likely to turn against Liu Bei. Instead, he would have actively sought cooperation with Liu Bei. Similarly, Cao Cao, who had defeated Yuan Shao, would have also actively sought cooperation with Liu Bei.

Liu Bei could then truly step onto the stage and compete with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Liu Su and Liu Shi exchanged a glance, their worries undiminished: "Xuande, I know you are brave and skilled in battle, but Xianyu Fu and the others are no benevolent men either. Could you tell us roughly how you plan to conquer the various prefectures?"

Liu Bei smiled, leaned against the table, and gestured to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan and recited a series of data: "Although Guangyang County is a county, its five cities only have a population of over ten thousand. Even if we include the concealed population, Yan Rou can only support a maximum of two thousand soldiers. Dai County is a mixed Han and non-Han region with a large area but a small population. Moreover, it is dominated by the Wuhuan forces. Xianyu Fu only exists as an appendage in Dai County, so he can only support a maximum of two thousand soldiers. Yuyang has a relatively large population, but it will not exceed thirty thousand. Wang Song can only support a maximum of five thousand soldiers."

"The three of them together number less than ten thousand infantry and cavalry, and they are not under each other's command. What difficulty would it be to defeat them one by one? As for Nanlou of Shanggu Wuhuan and Tadun of the three counties Wuhuan, they are just four bandits who sell their heads. Even if a hundred thousand of them march south, they are just a bunch of chickens and dogs."

　To make it auspicious today, I'll post five updates. I'll be lethargic tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)