Chapter 329: Divide
"Of course, I surrender."
"Except surrender."
Xu Zhenying laughed, "General Zhao, isn't it inappropriate to let your enemies give you advice on how to get out of this predicament?"
Zhao Yi was speechless. After meeting Xu Zhenying, the little bit of hope in his heart was completely gone.
In front of such a pair of sharp eyes, it seems that no thoughts can escape detection!
Xu Zhenying is truly a genius!
This made him admit defeat.
"If you take over the North, where will the 200,000-strong army go?"
"I'm very pleased that General Zhao cares more about the future of his brothers than his own. This proves that I was right about him."
Xu Zhenying smiled. A damp breeze picked up in the air, and the leaves on both sides seemed to sense the coming storm and fell to one side. "I can promise you that I will properly accommodate these soldiers."
Zhao Yi, however, was clearly eager to get to the bottom of the matter. "Your Highness, Prince Zhao, properly resettled? I'd like to hear how you would properly resettle them."
"Alright." Seeing Zhao Yi's refusal to give up until he got the specific details, he had no choice but to admit defeat. "I think you should have vaguely guessed before you came here that disarmament is an inevitable path."
Sure enough, "disarmament" was mentioned again.
This made General Gu and General Bai behind Zhao Yi look stern, and they thought that what was coming had finally come.
"So how much are you going to cut?"
At this point in the conversation, Xu Zhenying was almost certain that Zhao Yi was ready to surrender.
Thinking of this, Xu Zhenying breathed a sigh of relief. "We can first survey the situation and see how many of these 200,000 soldiers want to stay. For those who are being discharged, each will receive a one-time compensation of 20 taels of silver. If they were disabled in previous battles, they will receive lifelong medical insurance and free medical treatment. As for the soldiers currently enlisted, due to the unique geographical location of the northern border, their benefits will be increased by 20% in the same manner as in Jinzhou Prefecture."
Zhao Yi didn't understand these terms, so he subconsciously looked at Bai Ci'en. Bai Ci'en was very familiar with the mathematics of Jinzhou Prefecture, so he almost immediately said, "One tael and two coins."
This number has far exceeded the three people's expectations.
After all, they have not surrendered yet. Even if they did, these soldiers are still people of the Great Zhou Dynasty and have fought for the Great Zhou Dynasty before. They originally wanted to get a severance pay of five taels at most, but Xu Zhenying asked for twenty taels.
The three people stood there in shock, speechless for a long time.
Zhao Yi felt mixed emotions.
Should we say that Xu Zhenying is stupid, or naive, or is Jinzhou Prefecture really that wealthy?
Seeing Zhao Yi's silence, Xu Zhenying curled his lips slightly. "General Zhao, my price is probably much higher than you expected. I didn't haggle over the soldiers' severance pay, nor did I haggle with you for several rounds to lower the price. It's not that I, Xu Zhenying, am being taken advantage of, nor is it that Jinzhou Prefecture has too much money to spend. Rather, I sincerely welcome you and treat you as one of my own. I sympathize with the hardships of the soldiers who risked their lives to defend the northern border, so I don't want to play tricks on you. As long as you surrender to me, my principle is to never treat my own people unfairly. General Zhao Yi, do you see my sincerity in this negotiation?"
Zhao Yi's face flushed slightly, with a hint of shame in his eyes.
He finally understood why everyone around Xu Zhenying was so devoted to her.
In fact, this person's broad mind and generosity make it difficult to refuse.
Bai Ci'en, who had originally decided not to get involved in their discussion, couldn't help but ask the most crucial question, "If that's the case, then how much does Your Highness plan to reduce the military? Will it be based on the soldiers' willingness to stay or leave, or will it be based on the number of soldiers you envision?"
"The survey is just a guideline. The final number of layoffs will depend on many factors. But I can tell you the truth, and you can be mentally prepared. I expect to retain only 50,000 elite troops."
"Fifty thousand?" The three men's expressions changed. Before Zhao Yi could say anything, General Gu was already furious. "You want to cut 150,000? Do you even know how to fight, little girl? Leaving 50,000 troops to guard the northern border, isn't that just opening the door for the Tartars to march straight in?!"
At the same time, Zhang Wanjun drew her sword swiftly, the sword flower was like a dragon, and the momentum was extraordinary, like a barrier erected in front of Xu Zhenying.
Zhang Wanjun's voice was icy as she shouted, "Back off!"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense!
Xu Zhenying smiled and reached out to stop Zhang Wanjun. "If you have any questions, you can talk. This is why we need to talk together today."
Bai Ci'en took a step back and bowed to Zhang Wanjun, "General Zhang, our old General Gu is old and impatient. He did not mean to offend your master. Please put away your sword."
Zhang Wanjun just looked at Xu Zhenying, waiting for Xu Zhenying's instructions.
Xu Zhenying nodded.
General Gu, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned with the incident. He even smiled at his junior, Zhang Wanjun, and said, "Girl, you're quite good with the sword. Let's spar tomorrow."
Seeing that General Gu's expression was not provocative and that he seemed to sincerely want to spar with her, Zhang Wanjun also calmed down a little and said with a bow, "It would be respectful to refuse."
After this episode, everyone felt a lot more relieved.
One wants to surrender, the other accepts surrender. As Xu Zhenying said, this is the meaning of negotiation.
Zhao Yi said, "You want to reduce your army by 150,000. Have you considered how to resist the Tartars in the north? These Tartars are extremely ferocious and cruel, like uncivilized beasts. Even 50,000 elite soldiers and generals cannot resist them."
"So weapons are used. Firearms are necessary."
When it came to firearms, it was obvious that all three of them were a little excited.
That's a firearm.
The legendary alien creature that was invincible on the eastern battlefield!
Even Zhou Heng died from firearms!
"Firearms equipped with automatic repeating crossbows can at least withstand an army of 100,000. Of course, we will continue to invent more powerful weapons. However, truly destroying the Tartars is a long-term endeavor."
"Speaking of which, I'd like to hear your advice on how to deal with the Tartars."
"That's a long story." Xu Zhenying smiled and walked slowly along the bluestone path beside the lake. "General Zhao, do you know how to completely destroy the enemy?"
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment, "It means turning him into your friend."
Xu Zhenying raised his eyebrows slightly.
Perhaps it was the twenty taels of severance pay Xu Zhenying had mentioned that made Zhao Yi truly feel Xu Zhenying's sincerity, and his heart opened up. "To be honest, apart from the fact that your Jinzhou Prefecture tutorials seemed really difficult to me, I know every battle and troop management you've fought. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. You once said that there are only two ways to destroy the enemy: either kill him or bring him under control."
"That's right."
But Zhao Yi disagreed, his brows furrowed. "Don't tell me your way to deal with the Tartars is to make them your friends. There's a deep blood feud between the Han and the Tartars. They've killed countless of our people and robbed countless of our cities over the past few hundred years. Between us, there's only a bloody battle to the bitter end, and there's no peace ever."
"I guessed you would object. But I still want to try to convince you."
Zhao Yi pursed his lips, looking displeased, "You say."
"First of all, you've been fighting the Tartars for as many years as the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded, but even now, the two sides are still evenly matched. They haven't invaded the Central Plains, and you haven't completely wiped them out. So these hundreds of years have only wasted manpower, material resources, and financial resources."
Bai Ci'en immediately retorted, "This is all necessary for war. If we hadn't invested these manpower, material resources, and financial resources, the Tartars would have marched straight into the Central Plains and taken control of us Han people, and we would have become their slaves."
"Okay, I agree with that point of view. Let me ask you another question. Why do you think the Tartars are so determined to enter the Pass?"
"They have wicked ambitions and want to usurp the throne."
"That's just a symptom, not the root cause." Xu Zhenying raised her hand. The woman had completely taken the initiative in the conversation, controlling the entire flow of the conversation. "The fundamental reason is that the climate outside the Great Wall is harsh and the land is barren, making it impossible for them to survive. I don't know how many of you have actually been outside the Great Wall to understand the enemy's life. You know that they are further north, which means that the winters outside the Great Wall are even colder, and there are even only two seasons a year, spring and winter. Crops can't grow, and ordinary people can't survive. If they want to survive, if they want to live, they have no choice but to break through the Great Wall, plunder, and fight. This is also why you think the Tartars are fierce and bloody, because if they retreat, they will die. If this problem is not solved from the root, the Tartars will never stop fighting."
"Besides, you want to completely wipe out the Tartars? Okay, let's follow your line of thought. How do you do that? They have a lot of people, and they're all hiding further north. If you want to slaughter them all, you have to go through the border. But once you do, you'll be faced with unfamiliar roads, lack of logistics, and freezing weather. You won't be able to reach their home base, so you won't be able to wipe them out. They'll be like weeds, unable to be wiped out by the spring breeze, and will break through the border again the following year, over and over again. So, objectively and resignedly, it's impossible to completely wipe them out. There's only one other option left—peaceful reconciliation."
General Gu's eyes were red and he gritted his teeth: "You say it easily, but do you think that the hatred between us can be forgotten just like that?"
"What if we continue fighting for hundreds of years, let more people die, and invest more material and financial resources? As long as the Tartars' living environment remains so harsh, they will never stop invading the Central Plains. Who doesn't want a home with shelter and fertile land? This is called possessing a treasure and being guilty. The fertile soil of the Central Plains is not only coveted by us, but also by the Tartars."
"I know it's hard for you to accept. After all, the Tartars killed so many people in the Great Zhou Dynasty, possibly even your family members. But politics isn't about personal sentimentality; it's about considering the greater good of our nation. To completely eliminate the Tartars, we must first subdue them, rally them, divide them, and then suppress them."
"General Zhao Yi, since you're familiar with some of the affairs of Jinzhou Prefecture, have you ever heard of the merger of the Han and Tu peoples of Qianzhou?"
When talking about Qianzhou, Bai Ci'en's expression changed slightly, and he showed a little shame.
Zhao Yi glanced at him, then said, "I heard roughly what General Bai said."
Xu Zhenying seemed to have only just realized that Bai Ci'en was here. Thinking of the two hundred thousand taels, she smiled awkwardly, but immediately changed the subject, "General Zhao, do you know what happened to the natives in Qianzhou later?"
Zhao Yi listened attentively.
"A few years ago, a severe smallpox outbreak occurred in the west, leaving nine out of ten houses empty and the population plummeting. To balance the population, and to secure a better home, the natives proactively cooperated with our proposed mass relocation plan. Now, the natives have been completely dispersed and divided into different villages and towns. Their thoughts, culture, and living habits have been assimilated by us. Even when Jinzhou Prefecture was in trouble, their villages sent 20,000 men to fight against the invasion with us. General Zhao, have you ever considered that my efforts to integrate the natives and the Han people are meant to set an example for the Tartars, perhaps one day they too can become another native people. I will not only deeply integrate them into our ranks, but even assimilate them, making them regard the Central Plains as their homeland and defend this land with their lives?"
The look of shock remained on Zhao Yi's face for a long time.
The natives' relocation to the west caused a lot of controversy back then. Even Zhao Yi, who was far away in the north, had heard about it to some extent.
At that time, the only thing he was thinking about was what method Xu Zhenying used to make the natives so obedient.
At first it sounded like just a westward migration, but after the conversation just now, Zhao Yi thought about it more.
This westward migration involved many factors, such as how to persuade the natives to migrate westward one by one, how to resettle them across a thousand miles, and how to distribute land and houses when they arrived at the destination. This tested not only Xu Zhenying personally, but more importantly, the management level and financial strength of Xu Zhenying's government officials.
At this point, thinking about the natives' westward migration, the views of several people present on the Tartars seemed to have changed slightly.
There's no harm in at least giving it a listen first.
Zhao Yi said, "Okay, let's take a step back. We agree to use the steps you mentioned: win over, appease, divide, and suppress to eliminate the Tartars. But the Tartars are different from the natives after all. First, the hatred between us is deeper. Second, the Tartars are inherently wild and difficult to tame. Our appeasement will only be seen as a sign of weakness."
"So we need to use both kindness and force. The Tartars are human beings too, and as long as they are human, they can't avoid the desire to be strong. We must first use artillery fire to subdue them, soften them, and make them afraid of us, so that they will obey. Once they obey, we can give them sweet treats. At the same time, we must also take two steps to deal with the Tartars: one is to deal with their management, and the other is to deal with their grassroots people."
Zhao Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, seeming to be very confused.
Bai Ci'en looked thoughtful, but his expression was sincere and humble. "Why do we have to do it in two steps?"
"Because the two classes have different needs and interests. The management wants power, while the common people at the bottom want to survive. If we want a peaceful evolution outside the Great Wall, we must prescribe the right remedy. My eldest brother Xu Huiming should have sent someone to contact you before, asking you to open the wool market outside the Great Wall and request that wool be transported from your northern border to Jinzhou Prefecture, right? But you rejected it."
Zhao Yi frowned. "Your Highness, they're buying wool from outside the Great Wall at such a high price. Some are even offering to exchange it for the salt and iron they desperately need. This is like taking care of their business, giving them gold and silver, and funding their growth. What if they turn against us in the future?"
At this moment, Zhao Yi had completely surrendered, and even unconsciously called Xu Zhenying "Your Highness".
Xu Zhenying held his forehead with his hand, looking quite sad. This puzzled Zhao Yi and Bai Ci'en, so they became more humble and asked, "What's wrong with this?"
"General Zhao, we can't just judge things by appearances. We buy their wool at a high price. First, it can stimulate our domestic demand and revitalize our own economy. This wool helps the small peasant economy. Every household can spin wool and earn a living, increasing the people's income. Second, we want to let the people outside the Great Wall see that wool is profitable. They will give up raising war horses and start raising sheep instead, which is a disguised way to weaken their fighting power."
Zhao Yi frowned, "But even so, we can't exchange them for salt and iron. Salt and iron are their lifeblood, and we must hold them tightly."
"You hold on tight, but their demands won't diminish, so they'll find other ways to meet their needs, like breaking into the interior and robbing our people."
Zhao Yi's face turned slightly pale.
"Appropriate circulation isn't a problem. On the contrary, we can even smuggle our own goods and spread our ideas and culture. We can even make them economically dependent on us. We need to subtly make them understand that if they want to live a good life, they have to get close to us and become one of us."
Bai Ci'en immediately said, "But what if they see the prosperity of the Central Plains and become greedy, and want to take over the magpie's nest?"
"So, the iron must be strong before it can be forged. All policies must be backed by strong military measures. I said from the beginning that we must use firearms to subdue and frighten them. Only when they are frightened will they obey and see the truth in our words. After all, those with bigger fists always have more reason to speak, and truth lies within the confines of the fist, don't you agree?"
All three of them were silent.
Only General Gu looked pensive, as if he was in a trance.
But this time he finally understood that apart from the doggy-paddling handwriting, Xu Zhenying was nothing like him.
Look at his brain, how fast it works.
Although Old Gu only understood a few bits and pieces of what was said, this girl must be quite capable as she could make General Zhao and General Bai silent.
However, the saying "the truth is within the range of the fist" really resonated with him.
Really? Why bother talking so much? Just do it!
Bai Ci'en wanted to know more, "It's not enough to just let them raise sheep while we collect the wool. I understand what Your Highness means. To prevent the poor from robbing our houses, we have to make them rich too, otherwise they will always covet us. But people are never satisfied, and it's easier to invite a god than to send him away. The Tartars are here, but it won't be so easy to get rid of them."
"Yes. But we can refer to the strategy of dividing the natives before. Then we can defeat them one by one."
"But the Tartars are ambitious and ruthless. We may be able to frighten them temporarily, but their desire to seize the Central Plains will never die."
"Conquering them is only the first step. The second step is to select some obedient, easy to control, and those who are willing to align themselves with us ideologically. We can give them a small county town and let them gradually adapt to life in the Central Plains."
General Gu became agitated upon hearing this. "How can that be? We defeated them, and now we're giving them land? Is this a win or a loss? Why should we let the Tartars live on our land?"
Xu Zhenying explained: "General Gu, please don't be anxious. Just listen to me."
Xu Zhenying broke off a branch, then squatted down and began to draw on the ground: "This small county town called Shatu in the northern border is quite good. This place is close to the outside of the Great Wall and has very few water sources. We can use water as a resource to control them. Letting them live here is to let them know that only those who are obedient can eat fruits. People have group effects, and the Tartars are no exception. Imagine that your neighbor next door has a house to live in and water to drink if he is obedient. If it were you, would you be willing to be obedient? Secondly, we can draw a pie in the sky. First, select a group of obedient people to enter the city, and say that those who perform well can be allocated houses and obtain permanent minority status in the Central Plains. We can even implement a work point system, where everyone is assigned points according to their performance, and those with high scores can even become the managers of this city. Furthermore, we can advocate some brainwashing. Slogans, fabricate some history books out of thin air, saying that the Han and the Tartars were one family many years ago and should not have fought each other. We cannot fool the Tartar upper echelons, but we can fool the middle and lower class people. Changing their thinking and letting them actively move closer to us is the only way to soften them. When the time comes, they will have houses to live in, schools to go to, the dignity they desire, and even channels for advancement. We will first praise them and then kill them! Which fool would still listen to their Khan and insist on using his flesh and blood to block the holes in our guns? Then we can organize a migration to the south and disperse these Tartars. As the saying goes, a single tree cannot make a forest. If these Tartars are distributed throughout the country, they will not be able to cause any trouble. Follow my ideas, and within five years, we will see results. "
Zhao Yi and Bai Ci'en's faces were no longer as resolute as before. On the contrary, General Gu sat down beside them with a fuming look and retorted, "This is too much trouble. Why don't we push our firearms northward and attack whoever we see? If we are worried about logistical supply, then we can go with fewer people. I don't believe that with firearms in hand, we can't destroy these Tartars!"
Xu Zhenying shook his head. "We can use firearms, but we can't rely entirely on them. Firearms are powerful, but they also have flaws. They are only suitable for large-scale combat."
General Gu blew his beard and glared, "Why?!"
"Because gunpowder is very expensive. Every shot fired must be worth its weight in gold. If you push it outside the Great Wall, you will be like a lamb walking into a tiger's mouth, and will inevitably attract the Tartars to plunder it. If this only powerful weapon falls into the hands of the Tartars, we will be in a very passive position."
Zhao Yi and Bai Ci'en were obviously silent. They stared at the pictures drawn by Xu Zhenying without moving. Zhao Yi even squatted down and stretched out his hand to gently brush across the sand drawings on the ground.
The cities, mountains, rivers and terrain are all clearly drawn, from which two points can be seen.
One thing is that the map of the northern border has long been thoroughly understood by the people of Jinzhou Prefecture.
Secondly, the conciliatory policies that Xu Zhenying mentioned did not appear out of thin air, but were the result of her thinking for countless days and nights.
Xu Zhenying said, "I know that ethnic hatred is difficult to resolve, but resolving hatred does not necessarily require the use of force to eliminate the enemy. General Zhao, follow my ideas, and within fifty years, our northern border will no longer be troubled by the Tartars!"
Bai Ci'en was stunned and said, "That's right. After a few decades, the Tartars have long since become one with the Central Plains. They even intermarry with the Central Plains people. Generation after generation, they have become Central Plains people too."
Zhao Yi frowned tightly, looking a little absent-minded, not knowing what he was thinking about.
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