Chương 430: Strategies Determined Halfway

He first pointed his riding whip at several places on the map, including Guanghan, Shujun, and Bajun, explaining the details clearly to everyone:

"Liu Yan may seem to control the entire Yi Province, but he's really just a paper tiger. He only truly holds the five regions of Guanghan Commandery, Shu Commandery, Ba Commandery, plus the subordinate states of Shu Commandery and Guanghan Commandery. The rest are all those who obey orders but not proclamations. Ren Qi of Jianwei Commandery has long been dissatisfied with him... and the four commanderies of Nanzhong don't even give him the time of day."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Zan couldn't help but sneer, "So Liu Yan only governs five counties."

Qi Jiguang shook his head with a smile and said, "Back then, he listened to Dong Fu's words, saying that 'Yizhou has the aura of an emperor,' and he ran over there eagerly to become a local tyrant."

"And what happened? When he arrived, he found that the powerful families of Yizhou didn't respect him at all. After several years of struggling, he barely managed to hold onto Guanghan, Shujun, Bajun... The barbarian tribes in the south wouldn't even show their faces to him."

He paused, then continued, "After we enter Shu, our first step is to go to Mianzhu County in Guanghan Commandery to hand over the reins to Liu Yan, taking over his official seals, household registers, and treasury. After the handover..."

The whip drew four directions on the map: "Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, Yu Jin, Xu Huang, you four will each lead your own troops and divide into four routes to take over the remaining four commanderies and kingdoms..."

"Gongsun Zan, go to Ba Commandery. Ba Commandery is large and populous, and it needs cavalry to intimidate people. Just set up your iron cavalry there, and I guarantee no one will dare to rebel."

"Qu Yi, you're going to the Shu Commandery. It's a mountainous and densely forested place, perfect for your elite vanguard. If anyone disobeys, just kill them."

"Yu Jin, go to Guanghan, a vassal state. You are known for your strict military discipline. Once you arrive, maintain strict military discipline and ensure that no one is harmed in any way. Show the local people what a true royal army looks like."

"Xu Huang, go to Shu Commandery. Chengdu is right there. The treasury, household registration, and military strength all need to be taken stock. You are the most suitable person to go."

After Qi Jiguang finished speaking, he put away his whip, glanced at everyone, and said in a resolute tone:

"Remember, when taking over, be courteous first, then use force. Those who are willing to open the gates and submit will be forgiven for their past actions and will continue to hold their official positions; those who dare to play tricks and resist by closing the city gates, don't waste words with them, just take it down."

"Capture the man and send him to Luoyang for the lord to deal with. We have 60, 000 troops here; don't let a few local officials control us. Understand?"

"clear!"

The four responded in unison, their voices shaking the tent flaps.

Gongsun Zan was the first to slam his hand on the table and stand up.

The white-horse general's arrogance was at its peak, and he said in a loud voice:

"Don't worry, Commander Qi! It's just Ba County. I'll take my iron cavalry there. If they know what's good for them, they'll open the gates and surrender. If they dare to say no, my ten thousand cavalry will raze their county to the ground. I guarantee I'll take care of it perfectly!"

Qu Yi grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his expression fierce:

"General Qi, the Shu Commandery is a mountainous region, perfect for my elite vanguard to make the most of it. We have our own tactics for plains and mountains. Don't worry, if anyone dares to be so foolish, I'll lead my brothers to be the first to storm the city walls and take down their entire stronghold!"

Yu Jin calmly rose, cupped his hands, and said, "This subordinate obeys! I will proceed steadily and surely, and during the period of taking over the Guanghan vassal state, I will strictly enforce military discipline, commit no offenses against the people, and absolutely not cause trouble for Commander Qi or our lord."

Xu Huang nodded in agreement, saying, "This humble general will obey your orders! This humble general will make sure that the treasury, household registers, and troops are accounted for clearly and without the slightest error."

The group readily agreed, without a single hesitation.

Qi Jiguang nodded in satisfaction, then, holding his riding whip, pointed south on the map and continued:

"Once we have firmly grasped these five commanderies and kingdoms under Liu Yan's control and established a solid foundation, the second step will be to lead our army south and take back all the remaining territories. First, we will take Jianwei Dependent Kingdom and Jianwei Commandery, and then further south, we will take the four commanderies of Nanzhong: Zangke Commandery, Yuexi Commandery, Yizhou Commandery, and Yongchang Commandery."

He explained the situation in each place clearly to everyone, making it very clear:

"Let's start with Jianwei Commandery. The prefect, Ren Qi, is a local powerful figure in Shu. He has long been dissatisfied with Liu Yan's killing of powerful figures in Yizhou and his act as a local emperor behind closed doors."

"If we go there, we probably won't even need to fight. A few words of persuasion and they'll open the gates and surrender, saving us a lot of trouble. These kinds of people are just opportunists; they'll side with whoever is stronger. If we just set up our 60, 000 troops there, they'll be more eager than anyone else."

"The situation in Jianwei is different. It is located on the edge of the southern region, bordering the other counties in the south. It is entirely controlled by the local powerful clans and the Yi chieftains. They have never been obedient to the imperial court, so there is a high probability that we will have to resort to violence."

"The most troublesome place is the four prefectures in the south. The area is remote, with high mountains and dense forests, and heavy miasma. Historically, it has been ruled by the local powerful clans and barbarian chieftains, and even the previous imperial court could not control it."

"These guys are pretty wild. They probably won't surrender easily; they'll definitely want to fight us head-on. Besides, they know the terrain well, while we don't. It'll be quite a struggle if we fight."

After speaking, Qi Jiguang glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice:

"The rules for dealing with these people are the same as before: first send someone to persuade them to surrender. If they are willing to submit, we will let bygones be bygones; if they dare not surrender and dare to be arrogant, then don't blame us for being impolite."

"First, rain down a few waves of arrows to clear the ground. Once the arrow rain stops, launch a full-scale attack with siege equipment. We have plenty of battering rams and catapults; we'll make sure to crush them and take the city in one fell swoop."

His tone suddenly became more forceful, carrying an undeniable ruthlessness:

"Especially those barbarian tribes, those who dare not surrender and dare to cause trouble, show no mercy, slaughter them all!"

"We want to let these people in the south know that the world now belongs to His Highness Prince Yan, not to them who can seize the mountain and become kings! The court couldn't control them before because the court didn't have the power. Now it's different."

The moment these words were spoken, the murderous aura inside the tent instantly intensified.

Gongsun Zan, who had dealt with the Wuhuan and Xianbei for many years, hated these barbarians who refused to submit to the king's rule. He immediately patted his chest and shouted:

"General Qi is right! These barbarians deserve a lesson! I've dealt with them in the north before, and I've killed my share there. If reasoning doesn't work, then let's use swords. When we march south, I'll lead my iron cavalry as the vanguard, and I guarantee I'll slaughter them all, showing them our might!"

Qu Yi, Yu Jin, and Xu Huang all nodded and responded in unison:

"Your humble servants obey orders! We will follow Commander Qi's commands!"

The strategy was thus decided.

The group then looked at the map and explained the marching route, the details of troop deployment, and the allocation of supplies in great detail.

Qi Jiguang was always meticulous in his battles. He would ask clearly how many scouts should be sent to each fork in the road and how each valley should be fortified. He would not return to his camp until dawn.

Before leaving, Gongsun Zan muttered to himself, "General Qi is really meticulous in battle; he can argue with you for half an hour about the allocation of supplies."

Qu Yi laughed and said, "It's better if it's smaller; fewer people will die if it's smaller."