The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 117 Debates within the Imperial Secretariat: Prioritizing Important and Urgent Matters

Liu Bei first named Wu Yi, the "Imperial Brother-in-Law":
"Ziyuan, you are the commander of my central army. What do you think of the four words left by Fa Xiaozhi?"

Wu Yi clasped his hands in a fist and grinned, saying:
"Your Majesty commands me to fight the traitor Cao Cao, and I will fight the traitor Cao Cao; Your Majesty commands me to subdue the Southern Barbarians, and I will subdue the Southern Barbarians!"

Liu Bei chuckled and waved for Wu Yi to stand aside.

Miwei's eyes lit up immediately.

Thinking to myself, "The emperor's brother-in-law is indeed the emperor's brother-in-law; this response is truly appropriate," I prepared to do the same.

But Liu Bei didn't even mention him next.

Instead, the focus shifted to Song Yuan, who represented Li Yan:

"Li Zhengfang also offered a strategy for pacifying the south, and you were his deputy. Do you have anything to say?"

Song Yuan clearly came prepared, and raised his voice:

"I believe that Your Majesty's decision to leave behind these four words is to the point!"

"At present, the north is of paramount importance and the south is of less importance. The northern expedition should be the priority in all matters, and everything else is a minor matter!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads.

Why has the story changed?

But then Song Yuan continued:
"However, the war in the north has just ended, and it is impossible to launch a large-scale military campaign within the year."

"On the other hand, the southern mountains are dangerous and the roads are long, so it is neither possible nor necessary to mobilize a large army. This is a good opportunity to quickly eliminate the festering sore and get rid of any worries!"

"Therefore, although the north is more important than the south, the north is more swift than the south, and it is the right time to quickly pacify the south!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately raised their voice in agreement.

It must be said that Song Yuan's argument was reasonable and well-founded, with examples to support it.

On the original basis, the interests of the Northern Expedition faction were also taken into account.

There must be a master to guide you.

Mi Wei subconsciously looked at Ma Su next to Song Yuan.

The latter kept his head down and bent over, so his expression was not visible.

Just like a knife hidden in its sheath.

At this moment, Li Hui, the Prefectural Governor, was looking down, deep in thought.

They were clearly caught off guard.

However, what he feared most came to pass; Liu Bei targeted him next.

What do you think?

Li Hui could only reply:
"I also believe that the north is more important than the south, but I cannot agree with Prefect Song's statement that there is no need to mobilize a large army to fight the bandits in the south!"

"As is well known, the barbarians of the south are scattered throughout the counties. Yuexi, Yizhou, Zangke, Zhuti, Yongchang... each has its own bandits, and each occupies a region."

"And its territory is so vast that it is measured in thousands of miles."

Li Hui pointed to the clearly marked map of Nanzhong.

"If we don't send an army of twenty or thirty thousand, how can we annihilate them all? Not to mention the troops that need to be stationed there afterwards... Based on this calculation, the cost of soldiers, armor, and provisions may not be less than that of the northern expedition to Hanzhong. How can we expect a quick victory?"

This has always been the core viewpoint of the slow-paced approach.

But before Liu Bei could name anyone, Song Yuan had already spoken up in rebuttal:
"Who said we should exterminate their entire species?"

"Now that the King's might is in the north, the petty villains in the south have little chance of gaining any real power."

"As long as the ringleaders are eliminated, like Gao Ding of Yuexi, the remaining villains will surrender without resistance!"

"As long as the pacification is handled properly, the need to leave troops to garrison the area can be eliminated, and the Northern Expedition next year will not be delayed!"

This statement garnered even more support than before.

Even Wu Yi, who should have stood on Li Hui's side, was included.

It comes down to it.

These generals who supported the Northern Expedition did not themselves oppose pacifying the southern regions.

They simply didn't want to invest too much manpower and resources in the south, lest it delay their future efforts to make contributions in the north.

If only one prefecture and one enemy are eliminated, the scale of the war will be much smaller.

Mi Wei couldn't help but think of his conversation with Zhang Yi that night.

At that time, Zhang Yi also considered Gao Ding to be the biggest threat.

However, Zhang Yi was not a general in charge of troops, so he could not make an example of someone. He had to settle for second best and use a softer approach to cut the meat.

At this point, Li Hui was almost at a loss for words.

But after all, it involved the title of Governor of Yijiang, and he did indeed have his own ideas about the South.

So they started nitpicking the details:

"May I ask Prefect Song, when you say there's no need to mobilize a large army, how many soldiers do you actually need, and how will you subsequently pacify the remaining tribes?"

"Five thousand soldiers are enough!" Song Yuan held up five fingers, head held high and chest puffed out.

"Two years ago, Li Xingye (General Li Yan's title) relied on five thousand righteous men from Jianwei to defeat Gao Ding and relieve the siege of the neighboring prefecture!"

Li Hui was utterly defeated.

No amount of talk can convince anyone more than concrete achievements. Song Yuan pressed his advantage:

"As for the strategy of appeasement, it is nothing more than winning hearts and minds, but we need to wait for the right time to discuss it!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and Mi Wei both looked at Ma Su.

Of course, Miwei only glanced at it before quickly turning his head away.

Liu Bei said:
"Youchang, is this the strategy you devised for Li Zhengfang to pacify the south?"

Ma Su looked up and said:
“The sinner has only empty talk and dares not offer any advice.”

Despite this, the man maintained a haughty demeanor and a somber expression.

A haughty air, head bowed, fashion can be subtly concealed.

His expression was evident the moment he looked up.

Liu Bei gave a soft chuckle, then suddenly turned to Mi Wei:

"Your father also advocates a gradual approach; what is your opinion?"

Miwei originally obeyed his father's orders and stayed out of it.

But as soon as I thought of Zhang Yi, I couldn't help but recall the image of him alone facing danger that night.

Then he recalled all the things he had seen and heard along the way.

I feel like I should do something.

He then said, "I believe that what Prefect Song said is reasonable."

Liu Bei: "Then Li De'ang is in the wrong?"

Mi Wei: "What Prefect Li said is also reasonable."

"what!"

Liao Li, who had been standing by, chuckled upon hearing this and addressed the crowd:
"The ox follows the example of its father, always treating others kindly, thus offending neither side!"

Mi Wei glanced at Liao Li, sensing a hint of sarcasm in the other's words.

But I couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to it.

He continued speaking to Liu Bei:

"I believe that Li Biejia and Li Xingye, though seemingly having different opinions, are actually just two sides of the same coin... the same Zhibai coin."

As he spoke, he pulled a copper coin from his sleeve.

The inscription reads "Zhi Bai Wu Zhu" in relief.

This means that the face value of this Wuzhu coin is one hundred.

When Liu Bei conquered Shu, he gave away too many rewards, which led to a shortage of supplies for the subsequent army.

Liu Ba suggested that he issue a large sum of money to meet the emergency, using the large sum to exchange for the small amount of money in the hands of the people, thus replenishing the government treasury.

It has now become a widely circulated credit currency in Sichuan.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei indeed glanced at Liu Ba, who stood there blankly, with a hint of interest:

"Your words are quite novel. What do you mean by 'two sides of the same coin'?"

Mi Weidao:
"Whether it's Li Xingye's suggestion to swiftly punish the ringleaders and deter the rest, or Li Biejia's suggestion to proceed slowly."

"Both sides acknowledge the same fact: the troubles in the south cannot be resolved simply by force."

"The reason for this is, as mentioned before, that the barbarian leader relied on the remoteness and danger of the area, and that the people had not been educated."

"This reminds me of what I saw and heard when I traveled through the three eastern prefectures earlier."

“The roads there are also blocked, and the mountain people do not know what year it is, making it difficult for them to return home.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liao Li immediately scoffed:

"How can the three prefectures, with their limited land, be compared to the Southern Region?"

Miwei responded calmly:

"What Mr. Liao said is absolutely right!"

"Therefore, the three prefectures only need to clear the east-west passage and then lure them with benefits, and the mountain people will naturally submit."

"But there is more than one in the south."

"However, the difference in size and quantity is merely a matter of quantity, but the underlying principle remains the same."

Liao Li's sneer remained unchanged:

"Are you planning to clear all the roads at the same time?"

"of course not!"

As he spoke, Mi Wei pointed to the bamboo scroll that Liu had filed before, which was said to be left behind by Fa Zheng, and said.

That's why we need to prioritize things!

Liao Li was stunned for a few moments before he reacted:
"You mean build a road that goes straight to Yuexi County?"

Mi Wei chuckled:
"The Way already exists; why should it be rebuilt?"

(End of this chapter)