NOVPUBThe subjugation of the Yellow Turbans meant that Liu Bei no longer had any hidden dangers within, and to all the Feudal Lords who learned of this intelligence, they remained silent. Guan Hai’s act of righteousness shocked all the lords, and likewise, it gave them the impression that Liu Bei was a reincarnation of Liu Xiu.
The former Emperor Guangwu had been similarly blessed with fateful fortune, rising swiftly from a declining Imperial Clan, with all directions converging toward him, and then establishing his capital over all under heaven. Liu Bei seemed to have repeated this process: first, with a million Yellow Turbans emerging from Qingzhou, and the Great Leader kneeling in submission, followed by the taking of Qingzhou, and Guan Hai’s death in battle—all leading to the complete acquisition of the people’s hearts and territory.
Territory isn’t important, what’s important are the hearts of the people. When Yuan Shao learned of this intelligence, it gave him such a headache that the territories were easy to capture within minutes, but winning over the hearts of the people in these conquered lands was the real problem. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Look at how easily Yuan Shao is now conquering Youzhou, but how many of Youzhou’s people actually submit to Yuan Shao? Suppressing internal uprisings is what Yuan Shao is spending most of his effort on now. Think back to when, with Ju Shou’s tactics, he peacefully accepted Hann Fu’s Jizhou, only to eventually face rebellion from Guan Chun and others.
These were all students of the Yuan Family; otherwise, the unrest would have been even greater. And now, in the newly occupied Bingzhou and some areas of Youzhou, there are disturbances today and discontent tomorrow—incessant small-scale rebellions since the territories were taken.
Speaking of which, Bingzhou’s rebellions are much fewer than Youzhou’s, after all. Xun Shen left behind people like Guo Yuan in Bingzhou who had already mastered the way to win over the people’s hearts. How to win the hearts of the people of Bingzhou? Xun Shen taught Guo Yuan and Gao Gan with facts—one word: "fight"!
Of course, this "fight" is not about Guo Yuan and others beating the people of Bingzhou but about fighting northward. No matter what kinds of creatures are encountered on the way north, if they’re not Han, they are to be wiped out on the spot. Keep fighting north and recreate the largest province of the Great Han.
By the way, I forgot to say, the largest province of the Han Dynasty was Bingzhou, not Yangzhou. It’s just that the border of Bingzhou was a bit problematic.
In summary, due to the Hu-Han conflict that had existed since the Spring and Autumn Period of the Jin Kingdom, it seems that the Hu People referred to at that time were the Eastern Hu. No matter what kind of Hu People they were, the hatred between the two sides had endured for more than a thousand years, and Xun Shen’s approach was to bring this conflict to a head, integrating Yuan Shao’s Army into Bingzhou as northern heroes.
Although the method was somewhat bloody, the effect was indeed very good. At least now the People of Bingzhou had accepted Yuan Shao’s rule. Although there were occasional rebellions, Xun Shen’s laws for traitors were amnesty-providing. Traitors only had to go to the north to hunt Hu People and protect the border to be recognized by the border populace and be pardoned—a very relaxed management style.
As for developing agriculture, Xun Shen had given that up entirely, after all, without sufficient seeds and farming tools, and without scientific farming methods, there won’t be any effect in the short term.
As for the Bingzhou conquest plan, Xun Shen and Tian Feng considered together that growing grain in Bingzhou was not as immediately effective as killing, burning, and looting. North of Bingzhou, there were at least five to six million Hu People. While drilling soldiers and looting, if Gongsun Zan could create a White Horse Soldiers, Yuan Shao’s Army would certainly be able to form a Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry—seriously, cavalry is such a good thing.
Regarding cavalry training, Xun Shen and Tian Feng unhesitatingly chose to confront the conflicts between the Hu People and the Han. Who has that much time to train cavalry? Seriously, does Liu Bei think like Cao Cao, that just because he has horses, he has cavalry? What a joke. Most of Liu Bei’s cavalry could only be described as foot soldiers on horseback. How many military generals actually had troops that fought on horseback?
In summary, Xun Shen and Tian Feng relied on the conflicts between the People of Bingzhou, the Southern Huns, and the Xianbei to make Yuan Shao’s Army the heroes of the border. Then, large numbers of horse-riding good men of Bingzhou joined Yuan Shao’s Army.
The rest was no longer a matter for Xun Shen and Tian Feng, as pillaging and plundering were skills many a military general possessed. It wouldn’t take much time to assemble one or two cavalry corps by seizing horses of any color from everywhere.
Having said so much, what it boils down to is that Yuan Shao had expended quite some effort to win over the hearts of the people in Bingzhou. As for Youzhou, the tales of Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Soldiers beating the Hu People were still circulating, so pacifying that region wouldn’t be so easy.
That was why Yuan Shao was very displeased with how effortlessly Liu Bei had managed to settle Qingzhou.
"Gong Yu, how are things going with Yuanhao and Youruo? We dealt with the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans before Liu Xuande handled the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, and now Liu Xuande has even won over the hearts of the people there. Do we have any good progress on our end?" Yuan Shao asked Ju Shou, not content at all. He was already too lazy to count the hundred thousand bushels of grain that went down the drain before.
"About that, there hasn’t been much progress with the Black Mountain Army," Ju Shou said with a wry smile. He had just reported to Yuan Shao about the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans yesterday, and at that time, Yuan Shao had told him to take things slow and make sure no problems were left unresolved, but now it seemed as if Yuan Shao was irritated by Liu Bei and wanted to compete head-on.
"Huh..." Yuan Shao breathed out a long sigh, "I’m being a bit too impatient. Warfare isn’t something you can rush. Once you start to hurry, that’s when mistakes will be made in the flurry. Liu Xuande has managed to rally Qingzhou to his side, but am I supposed to just sit back and watch him grow stronger?"
"My lord is wise," Ju Shou saluted Yuan Shao, "I have with me here a secret letter from one of Liu Xuande’s close confidants, Li Wenru."
"Wise? Hmph!" Yuan Shao scoffed discontentedly, then said to Ju Shou, "Li Wenru? Why have I not heard of this person before? His secret letter, what’s his angle?" Yuan Shao had an intuition that this might be a good opportunity.
Ju Shou gave a meaningful look to Xuu You, who was in charge of intelligence on Yuan Shao’s side. Xuu You stood up and recounted all the information he had gathered over the recent period, and Yuan Shao listened, his face lighting up with joy.
"Ziyuan, oh Ziyuan, why did you not share such good news with me sooner?" Yuan Shao pointed at Xuu You and chided him with a smile. They had grown up playing together, so there was no need for too strict observation of the protocols between lord and subject.
"Ever since Gong Yu returned from Mount Tai, he has been concerned about the possibility of deceit, prompting me to verify from multiple sources. Thus, I did not dare to disturb my lord until now. However, after half a year of verification, I have confirmed that Li Wenru is indeed reliable," Xuu You said with a smile.
Ju Shou’s cautiousness also made Xuu You somewhat helpless. In fact, Xuu You had felt there were no issues three months ago, but Ju Shou had insisted he continue observing, so for the sake of being extra careful, Xuu You studied the situation for another three months before conclusively deciding that Li Youu was a man who could be used as a pawn to corrupt Liu Bei in Jizhou.
"Such an important matter cannot be taken lightly. If it turns out to be a deceit, a wrong move could lead to incalculable losses," Ju Shou maintained his cautious demeanor. However, Li Youu was a tough character. He managed to play his role flawlessly. Should it be said that it’s no surprise for the man in charge of the household registrations? For the scouts of Jizhou, nine out of ten knew Li Youu like the back of their hands, and even if there was one that couldn’t be confirmed, they were still within the fold. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
