The generals under He Qi mainly come from Kuaiji, and some come from Yuzhang. Whether it is Kuaiji or Yuzhang, they are all old places in Wu and Chu. Even if their ancestors come from the Central Plains, after so many years of marriage, they have long been unable to distinguish them from the locals. What's more, there are a large number of Danyang soldiers under their command. They live together day and night, and no one will stubbornly defend the distinction between China and the barbarians. Otherwise, let alone making contributions, they may be cut off from their heads in the middle of the night.

Deng Zhi comes from Deng's family in Xinye. These principles come from his mouth and come into the ears of the generals. They are like a mountain spring. It is natural, but before the words are finished, it causes a burst of laughter. Even He Qi, who has always been serious, smiles. He regrets that Deng Zhi has always done his duty and has not taken the initiative to contact Deng Fang. If he is affected this time, he will feel a little aggrieved. If Xun You wants to replace Deng Zhi, he must fight for it. Although Xun You has many soldiers under him, not many are stronger than Deng Zhi. If he gets into the King of Wu again, it will be difficult to deal with it.

Even if you are good at your character, you must be a sensible person. It is impossible for a general to stand alone without knowing the general.

While He Qi was thinking secretly, Deng Zhi explained the situation in South China to the generals.

The southern middle is the border, and since it is also in Yizhou, the situation here is very different from that in the Central Plains, and there are two main points:

First, the terrain is complex and the march is difficult. It is not only easy to defend but difficult to attack, but also almost impossible to kill. This determines that you must not only be patient, but also be proactive. When it is time to take action, you cannot hesitate and wait for orders passively. The characteristics of mountain warfare are almost infinitely enlarged here. Once it scatters into the mountains, it is very likely that you will have to fight as a unit. Each garrison leader and captain have to face the enemy and decide whether to fight or defend, rather than reporting at all levels and waiting for instructions. Therefore, you must make good arrangements before the war, and everyone must know what to do.

Second, the ethnic group is complex, not only the distinction between Chinese and foreigners, but also different races are divided into different races within the barbarians, including Pu, Ji, Qiang and Barbarians. I am afraid no one can figure out how many of them are. Different regions are different, such as Ji Ke, Jianwei is dominated by Han and Yi. Going westward, Jianwei's vassal state is mixed with Han and Yi. When you arrive in Yueli, you may be dominated by the barbarians, and the opponents you have to face are the commanders of each tribe. Different means are used to deal with different people, but there are the same in different ways. There is a little unchanged, and the barbarian soldiers are the main force.

"About these barbarians, we should look at the problem in two." Deng Zhi took a sip of water and adjusted his thoughts. The situation in Nanzhong is different from the Central Plains, and even from Wuling. As a member of the army, he began to consider these issues very early, and the military advisor Xun You also gave instructions many times. Before the war, he had to convey these ideas to these generals and implement them in specific actions. "On the one hand, they are cruel and barbaric, we must deal with them carefully, and we cannot give them opportunities to minimize casualties as much as possible; on the other hand, they are just slaves driven by the great clan and the heroes. The battle is not their wishes, and our goal is not them. Without cutting off the hands that control them, no matter how many people are killed, it will not be able to truly solve the problem in Nanzhong. So..."

Deng Zhi paused and waved his hand hard. "We must not only hurt them, so that they can know that fighting with us is only a dead end, but also stop at the right time. We cannot kill at will, forcing the barbarians to fight the beasts, and only causing casualties. We must turn them into our soldiers and fight for us, so that we can become stronger and stronger as we fight." He knocked on the map behind him. "We not only need locals to help us draw a map of this land, but also need locals to help us kill those stubborn and powerful tyrants, and make this place the same kingly paradise as Jiangdong."

"Okay!" A general responded loudly and applauded vigorously. Thunderous applause and cheers rang out from the tent.

——

As expected, Xu Ling's mission to persuade surrender failed.

Although Fu Chong and others were enthusiastic and entertained Xu Ling with a feast and gave generous gifts, they were not interested in surrendering. They were not willing to agree to the two requests made by He Qi. The people who returned from Chengdu to send the news were the children of various families, and they could not hand over them. The mines in the mountains and the slaves in the family were their ancestral property, and they were the basis of their luxurious life. Not to mention giving up, there was no possibility of any loss.

They naturally have their confidence to say this. They can gather 30,000 to 40,000 troops, vassals, and familiar with the terrain. Even if they are not He Qi's opponents in front of the battle, they can always retreat into the mountains, stick to the key passes, and slowly spend it with He Qi to see who can spend it to the end. Over the past few hundred years, they have been dealing with the Central Plains dynasty in this way. Whether it is the powerful Qin Shihuang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Guangwu who guards the Wen, or Wang Mang who acts indiscriminately, they can't do anything about them. They are the masters of this land.

They are confident that they will prove this again.

Of course, Xu Ling did not find anything. He attended several banquets, met the heads of various families, talked to them about the past, talked about the ancients, talked about literature and martial arts, had a certain understanding of their character and abilities, and was also aware of the differences between the families. Although Fu Chong and others were very powerful, not everyone supported them. Now the Wang family, the strongest in Xiyi, has been waiting and watching. Overall, most of these people don’t have a broad understanding. They have been in the mountains for too long and have been majestic for many years. Many people have been in the mountains all their lives and have never been to the Central Plains, so they have no idea what the Central Plains is like.

It is very simple to say that they are arrogant and have no contempt at all. It is also very simple to deal with such people. It is useless to reason. You must first conquer them by force, let them realize their insignificance and feel the threat of death, and then you can sit down to negotiate. Xu Ling is very confident about this. He said that Fu Chong and others are brave and timid. As long as they are made aware of the gap in strength between the two sides, they will soon surrender.

The Fu family, Long family and Xie family are the masterminds, and Fu Chong is undoubtedly the core of these people. Destroying the Fu family can play a role in killing one and warning a hundred.

But He Qi disagreed. If we only look at the battle, we can win by destroying the Fu family, there is no doubt, but winning does not mean long-term security. The Long family and Xie family are involved in the matter. If they do not attack, even if they surrender, they will make a comeback once the army leaves. Therefore, the best aspect should be to not let go of anything that participates in the rebellion. The only difference is the strength of the attack, whether it is a genocide or a forced landing. Even if it is a forced landing, they must be defeated and make them feel pain. They have neither the courage nor the strength to rekindle their unyielding intentions within the predictable time.

Deng Zhi heard He Qi's murderous intention, and he was determined to fight in Xi County. Deng Zhi did not object. He just reminded He Qi that if He Qi wanted to achieve the goal, the scale of this battle would be relatively large and there would be more requirements for military strength. It may not be possible that He Qi's headquarters could solve it, and it would require some assistance from the central army, especially the direction of Lou Guan. They just estimated that Cao Cao would not send troops, but no one dared to guarantee that if Cao Cao led his troops to arrive when the two sides were in a stalemate, it would not work without enough troops to respond.

He Qi agreed readily. He asked Deng Zhi to report the combat plan to the Central Army, ask Zhou Yu and Xun You to approve it, and arrange for reinforcements to support it. It just so happened that Wei Yan had not left, so he asked him to bring the plan back.

Deng Zhi agreed happily. He made a plan overnight and handed it over to Wei Yan to take it back. Wei Yan knew the importance of this plan and told He Qi and Deng Zhi that the plan would never be leaked. He Qi was very satisfied. He knew that Wei Yan had followed Zhou Yu for many years, had superb martial arts, was smart, and was far more reliable than ordinary messengers. This plan was the safest to take back by Wei Yan.

In order to express his gratitude to Wei Yan, he also showed kindness to Zhou Yu. He Qi entertained Wei Yan and his party and gave some gifts. The gift was not thin, and it was not too thick to satisfy Wei Yan and others, so as to avoid Zhou Yu misunderstanding that he had other ideas. Although the He family in Shanyin cannot be compared with the Zhou family in Shu County, it is also a noble family. He Qi is very familiar with these affairs and does a good job.

——

The southern foot of Bulang Mountain, Jiucang Ridge.

Wei Yan tied his mount, looked at the mountain road blocked by falling rocks in front of him, and waved his hand. The knights behind him immediately got off the horse. Some took off the big shield from the saddle and set off defenses beside Wei Yan, while others took off the small shield, rushed to the hillsides on both sides, pulled the crossbows, and prepared for battle.

Wei Yan took off a large shield from the horse's back and handed it to the guide Wang Zhu. "Protect yourself and don't leave me."

Wang Zhu nodded repeatedly. He was a local mountaineer and lived in Bulang Mountain. He hunted and collected herbs in the mountains all year round. After He Qi arrived in Xi County, he sold prey and herbs to He Qi's army, which was more cost-effective than entering the city to sell. Half a year ago, his mother was sick, and the doctor in He Qi's army cured his mother's illness. He was very grateful, so he joined He Qi's subordinates and became a scout. Deng Zhi also made great efforts to draw a map.

"What other road can I go besides the road ahead?"

Wang Zhu pointed to Jiucang Ridge beside him. "There is a Zhuwang Temple on Jiucang Ridge. There are people guarding the temple and you can also stay there."

Wei Yan narrowed his eyes, stared at the eaves that were faintly visible on the ridge for a moment, and suddenly laughed. "Can the war horses leave?"

"If you can leave, the bamboo king in the temple is very smart. My mother gave birth to me when she went to the temple to pray to the gods. Most of the mountain people around her went to worship the bamboo kings, and many of them were rich, and there were often carriages and horses."

"How big is the Bamboo King Temple and how many people can live in?"

Wang Zhu thought for a while. "It's no problem to squeeze a little, thirty people are not a problem. Sir, are you worried that these people will hide in the Bamboo King Temple?" He looked at the knights beside Wei Yan, and his face turned pale. If it was as Wei Yan thought, then it would be too dangerous for them to go to the Bamboo King Temple. Even if they had only twelve of them, it would be no easy task to deal with two or three times the enemy.

"Unless there is a better hiding place than the Bamboo King Temple." Wei Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at the blocked mountain road ahead. "It was fine when I passed here the day before yesterday, but it was blocked now. It was not something one or two people could do. It should be that someone saw our armor and knew that the envoy had arrived in the central army and deliberately intercepted us here. However, they were going to be disappointed this time."

The knights looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
Chapter completed!