"Get up. It's been three years since I last saw you. Zheng Nan, you've grown taller again!"
Luo Zhengnan stood up with a shy smile. He hadn't expected to grow taller. "Hehe, it's because our Xiao family army has good food."
Xiao Zhixing patted him on the shoulder, then turned to help Chief Heihe up. “Chief Heihe, please rise. You don’t need to be so formal.”
Heihe stood up, his eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and joy. "Your Highness is a great benefactor of my Heiyi tribe. On behalf of the entire tribe, Heihe kneels in gratitude. You are worthy of this courtesy."
Xiao Zhixing smiled and extended his hand, "You're too kind. It's the Black Yi tribe that has treated our tribe so sincerely. I always treat my friends like family. Please."
The group entered the military camp, and Xiao Zhixing inspected the camp's situation. He kept talking to the Black River chief, inquiring about the tribe's production and living conditions.
After lunch, they rode for two days to the border of Xiong Chumo's territory.
"There are only four thousand households in this area, and the surrounding area is desolate. After I built the border defense belt, I taught them to read and write and to farm, and abolished slavery. In just two months, the hearts of the people have been won over."
Standing on the newly built city tower, across the Chianan River, lies the Southern Barbarians.
The Jianan River flows through the south, and even Suzhou has its tributaries.
Its winding path may have one section in Dasheng and another adjacent section in Nanyi.
The area it passed through was mostly hilly and steep, with complex terrain. Where the water flowed gently, the banks were mostly marshes and wetlands, so there were very few places suitable for building a city.
Jianan Pass and Wangbei Pass on the other side of Nanyi are the only two passes that were ever built.
Xiong Chumo seized the cities of the Southern Barbarians and rebuilt them into a single complex. After careful planning, he stationed a large force at a place called Aba Pass.
Aba Pass became a convenient passage between Haizhou and the Southern Yi people.
Further west lay the other half of the territory occupied by Huo Baijun, who incorporated all the southern Yi areas of Huzhou into their territory.
Xiao Zhixing scanned the area opposite him.
Even during the dry season, the Chianan River is nearly 100 meters wide, forming a natural barrier.
If the river rises and the water surges, not only will the floods be severe, but the chances of sneak attacks between the two sides will also be virtually eliminated.
unless……
Xiao Zhixing suddenly asked the Black River chieftain beside him, "I've heard that your tribe has many skilled swimmers. If the water level is low, how long would it take to swim across the Jianan River?"
Heihe said, "Your Highness, it takes about half an hour to an hour for the men of my clan who are skilled in swimming to cross the Jianan River."
Anything can happen in the water, so who can guarantee that you'll reach the shore on time?
Xiao Zhixing nodded, "That's right, Mr. Heihe. I'll have to ask you to help my Xiao family army train a few more swimming experts."
Heihe's heart skipped a beat. "Yes."
After a quick look, Xiao Zhixing and Xiong Chumo turned back to rejoin the main force and continue their westward journey.
On the way, Xiao Zhixing whispered to Xiong Chumo, "Not only the swimmers, but I've also heard that there's a unique flying technique in the south. Select soldiers with good balance to learn and master it thoroughly; it will be of great use in the future."
She wrote the name of her special skill in his palm.
Xiong Chumo nodded, his eyes gleaming, and immediately understood her meaning. Countless coordinated battle tactics had already appeared in his mind.
[Red comments: Wait, what kind of special skill is that? Ah, we want to know.]
[Green comment: Exactly, stop being so mysterious! Calling for the third dimension.]
[Yellow comment: Hehe, no spoilers, but it's absolutely amazing! It's the most spectacular show of the entire campaign against the Southern Barbarians!]
Xiao Zhixing admitted that she did it on purpose to keep the viewers in the live stream from getting bored.
A few days later, they rejoined the main force, bid farewell to Yang Sheng who was finally relieved, and left Haizhou for Huzhou.
Xiao Zhixing laughed and said, "Li Wenxiu, this is your territory. Tell me quickly, what's worth seeing here?"
Li Jun said, “Huzhou has many lakes, mountains to the west and water to the east. In these three years, I haven’t accomplished much else, but I’ve dredged some waterways and completed several flood control dikes.”
Lin Rushu smiled, "Prince Li is too modest. This is a great thing that benefits the people. If done well, it will be a great merit."
“As the book says, you accomplished in three years what others took ten years to achieve. Your merit will last for generations, so there’s no need to be modest,” Xiao Zhixing nodded.
In terms of doing things, Li Jun is indeed experienced and has a strong learning ability. After experiencing a few setbacks at the beginning, she grew rapidly and quickly sorted out the relationships in Huzhou.
By employing both strategic maneuvering and maneuvering, they managed to unite the people of Huzhou and successfully resolve the matter.
Li Tongye, the prefect of Huzhou, was Li Jun's father-in-law. It was with Li Tongye's support that Li Jun was able to make great strides in Huzhou in the later stages.
It was springtime, and the southern region was bursting with color. The scenery along the way was picturesque, so no one was in a hurry to get going. They followed Li Jun to see several flood control dikes that he had overseen.
Everyone also learned a lot of new knowledge.
Li Jun thought she was somewhat better than Xiao Zhixing in these matters, but she never expected that Xiao Zhixing could always get to the heart of the matter and offer advice in a targeted manner.
Liu Zizai praised, "The box of materials Your Highness gave me mainly contained books on dike and dam construction. I benefited greatly from reading them."
Xiao Zhixing modestly replied, "It is also because you can apply what you have learned to practice. Now Qingzhou has become a rich and prosperous city in the west, which is especially rare."
Li Jun coughed, suppressing her newly formed smugness. "Yes, there's also Liu Zizai. The Great Dam project in Qingzhou has created thousands of miles of fertile land, which has already caused a sensation throughout the world."
So he stopped showing off his knowledge and seriously discussed with everyone what could be improved.
Xiao Zhixing chuckled to himself, "That's more like it."
Traveling at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently to admire the scenery and inspect the dikes, we were still two or three days' journey from Yuansha County, the seat of the Huzhou Prefectural Governor.
A sudden downpour forced them to stop and rest in a town surrounded by a large pool.
"It rains a lot in the south. From late spring to late summer is the plum rain season. Occasionally there will be heavy rainstorms, which will cause great suffering to the people."
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