Chapter 10
From the Xia Dynasty until now, and for the next 1500 years, one would not be able to find a policy better than the one she currently has for Common People in Wuan Commandery.
"Mulan, untie General Li Lin first. How about this: the two of you go together and take a look. See how the people under my rule for just a few short days differ from Common People you saw in Liang Province," Lia said calmly.
"Hmm? You aren't afraid I'll run away?" Li Lin was somewhat surprised to see Lia so at ease.
"If someone can't even see through something like this, then let them run. Do you think I'd care?" Lia curled her lip.
This was the truth. If Li Lin were just some stubborn, inflexible person, Lia really wouldn't care for someone like him. The only reason she would use him was because she had heard from Hua Mulan that his character was good, not because anything else about him attracted her.
Furthermore, in terms of martial prowess, he couldn't even compare to Tuoba Xiu; there really wasn't anything about him worth her interest.
Hearing Lia say this, Li Lin glanced at her, turned around, and walked outside.
"General, General Li is just acting on impulse. Please don't be angry with him," Hua Mulan said, quickly bowing to Lia.
"It's fine. This isn't worth getting angry over. You should also go and see what those common people think of me, and see if I am worth following," Lia said indifferently.
"Yes, I believe in you, General." Hua Mulan nodded and caught up with Li Lin.
Next, Lia called over a soldier who had surrendered earlier. She wanted to verify if what Hua Mulan had said was true. If multiple people said the same thing, then there would be no issue.
The few people called in afterward all said the same thing, proving that there was nothing wrong with the marching route Hua Mulan and the others had taken.
After Lia waited for an hour, Li Lin and Hua Mulan returned.
"General Li Lin, how have you considered it? Will you join me in restoring these great lands?" Lia smiled slightly upon seeing the two return.
A hint of hesitation flashed across Li Lin's face, but he soon came to a realization and knelt on one knee before Lia: "Li Lin pays his respects to the Lord!"
"Hua Mulan pays her respects to the Lord!" Seeing this, Hua Mulan followed Li Lin's example and spoke.
"Good. General Li Lin, I have a mission here that requires your assistance," Lia said immediately upon seeing that Li Lin had surrendered to her.
"I do not know what mission the Lord has for this subordinate, but please give your orders," Li Lin said at once.
"You know that on your way here, didn't you pass through Wuxing Commandery? I want you to lead the original soldiers and take Wuxing Commandery by surprise. Afterward, blockade the city gates and cut off their correspondence with Liang Province. This way, both Wuan and Wuxing will be under our control, which will buy us a lot of time."
The resources of Wuan Commandery alone were simply too few, which was why Lia chose to act against Wuxing Commandery.
"I see. This is indeed an excellent idea. Those in Wuxing Commandery surely haven't expected that Tuoba Xiu has already been defeated by the Lord, and without a drop of blood being shed at that."
Li Lin thought about it and felt that this was indeed a very good plan.
"Once you have Wuxing Commandery under control, I will personally lead a team over. Then, Wuxing Commandery can be managed just like Wuan Commandery," Lia said with a smile.
"Please rest assured, Lord. It's just Wuxing Commandery; I will certainly take it tonight!" Li Lin responded immediately.
Lia ordered, "Good, I have high hopes for you. Act now. As for the soldiers, all those who surrendered originally will be placed under your command."
"Yes," Li Lin replied and walked out.
After Li Lin left, Lia also began to think about what came next. Although Wuxing Commandery could be taken tonight by seizing the opportunity, if Liang Province found out about this, they might very well mobilize a large army to come over.
So, would it be possible to take Liang Province all at once as well?
Liang Province currently had 15,000 troops, while she only had 10,000. 4,000 of them were newly conscripted and couldn't be counted, so she actually only had 6,000 men.
To be honest, even if 6,000 men could trick their way through the gates of Liang Province, it wouldn't mean much.
They might end up being surrounded and annihilated by over ten thousand people—it would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog, gone and never to return.
Chapter 22: Taking Wuxing Commandery
Even if they won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. If all the soldiers were lost, it would be a major problem. So, after thinking for a long time, Lia decided not to attempt a sneak attack.
Anyway, she had gunpowder. In a defensive battle, defeating the troops from Liang Province would surely not be an issue.
As for whether the opponent would send an army of hundreds of thousands, only if everyone in Northern Wei were fools would they do such a thing. Mobilizing over a hundred thousand troops was no small matter; the amount of food and supplies needed was unknown, and if they did it a few more times, the country might even go bankrupt.
However, the gunpowder Lia was currently producing wasn't very effective in close-quarters combat; it was very likely to cause friendly fire. So once the fighting became hand-to-hand, they would still have to rely on the soldiers' close-combat abilities.
But in a defensive battle, this thing was a powerful weapon.
"Forget it. In any case, let's take Wuxing Commandery first. Besides Wuxing Commandery, there are several surrounding counties and commanderies. As long as I can obtain enough raw materials for gunpowder, everything will be fine."
By the time she took the entire Liang Province, even if Northern Wei realized what was happening, it would be too late.
A single province was enough for her to develop. It was just a pity that the population in Western Liang was so small, unlike those prosperous provinces where a single province had millions of people.
After she conquered Liang Province, she would reopen the Hexi Corridor, first taking back The various kingdoms of the Western Regions, then conquering Tuyuhun. Once these territories were stabilized, she could focus all her efforts on expanding northward.
Lia's idea was simple: to take Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Tibet first.
Although the population in these places was not as large as in the Central Plains, and people were few, they were rich in resources!
Others might not know how to mine them, but she had mastered the Crude methods of refining everything. Within a few years, she would be able to develop rapidly.
The State of Yue was said to have conquered Wu with three thousand armored soldiers. Once her technology developed, it wouldn't matter if she swallowed the entire Central Plains.
Her current problem was that she didn't have much time to develop. As long as she took the entire Western Liang region, she could withstand Northern Wei's counterattack and stabilize her rear.
After receiving Lia's orders, Li Lin immediately led the 5,000 soldiers who had originally come to suppress Wuan Commandery and set off toward Wuxing Commandery.
By the time Li Lin arrived at Wuxing Commandery, the sky had long since darkened; it was already late at night.
With such a large army carrying torches arriving at Wuxing Commandery, the soldiers on the city gates naturally noticed. Soon, someone shouted, "Which army is below the city?"
"Listen, those on the wall! We are General Tuoba Xiu's infantry. Didn't we see each other yesterday?" Li Lin sent someone forward to say.
"Since you are General Tuoba Xiu's infantry, why have you come here in the middle of the night?" the soldier on the city gate continued to ask.
"We have already quelled the rebellion in Wuan Commandery and are now on our way back. However, it is too late, so we plan to trouble Wuxing Commandery for one more night. Please, brothers, open the gate and let us in to stay for the night; we will leave tomorrow morning."
The person below replied.
"I see. One moment, General, I'll have the gates opened immediately." The guards of Wuxing Commandery had no suspicions; after all, there was no reason why 5,000 troops would fail to take a tiny place like Wuan Commandery.
In fact, even if they had suspected something, it wouldn't have mattered, as these people really were those 5,000 troops. Even if they sent someone down, they wouldn't find anything amiss; no one would think that this group had already surrendered to the rebels.
Soon, the gates of Wuxing Commandery opened. Li Lin waved his hand, and the 5,000 troops marched grandly into the city.
Once the 5,000 troops had fully entered the city, Li Lin quickly launched a mutiny. His 5,000 men immediately took control of all the garrison soldiers in Wuxing Commandery and ordered all soldiers to guard the gates, not allowing a single person to leave the city.
Only after completing all this did he send soldiers to notify Lia.
By the time Lia received the news, it was already morning.
Hearing that Li Lin had taken Wuxing Commandery, Lia was very pleased. This way, once she took Linsong Commandery, she would be in control of three commanderies in Western Liang.
Without hesitation, Lia temporarily left the defense of Wuan Commandery to Ember's management, then set off directly for Wuxing Commandery with a few hundred light cavalry.
At noon, Lia arrived at Wuxing Commandery with her troops.
Upon learning of Lia's arrival, Li Lin immediately came out to greet her.
"No one escaped from Wuxing Commandery, right?" Lia asked Li Lin after arriving at Wuxing Commandery.
"My Lord, all four gates of Wuxing Commandery are now manned by our people; not a single soul has escaped. However, I am unsure how you intend to deal with the Governor of Wuxing Commandery and those soldiers?" Li Lin said.
"What kind of person is the Governor of Wuxing Commandery?" Lia first asked.
If he treated the people well, he would continue as Governor. If he was incompetent, he would be imprisoned. If he committed heinous acts, he would be executed on the spot.
"I specifically sent people to ask Common People in the city. Although he has no great achievements, it seems he hasn't particularly bullied them," Li Lin said after some thought.
"Is that so? Bring him to see me," Lia said after thinking for a moment.
"Yes," Li Lin nodded.
Soon, the Governor of Wuxing Commandery was brought forward. He was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties or fifties.
"Are you the Governor of this commandery? What is your name?" Lia glanced at him; he looked ordinary, with no particularly striking features.
"Reporting to the Young Lady, this humble official is named Xu Benfen." Xu Benfen bowed to Lia.
Lia waved her hand and said, "No need for so much etiquette. Let me ask you, how many Aristocratic Families are there in Wuxing Commandery? Tell me clearly how they usually conduct themselves."
Hearing this, Xu Benfen's heart skipped a beat.
He knew what had happened in Wuan Commandery. This young lady before him would not hesitate to kill. Of course, that was only toward the Aristocratic Families; she wouldn't harm Common People in the slightest.
For Lia, since she had already forbidden cooperation with the Aristocratic Families, she naturally wouldn't keep them around. She would kill them whenever possible to prevent them from causing trouble in her rear.
By clearing out these families now, she wouldn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back when she fought others in the future.
The reason the original Artoria was successfully betrayed by Mordred was entirely due to those nobles. Therefore, Lia naturally had to prevent these Aristocratic Families from causing trouble behind her back.
Of course, she couldn't kill all the Aristocratic Families. After all, in this era, only these families were literate, and many things required their assistance.
"What? Are all the Aristocratic Families in Wuxing Commandery law-abiding citizens?" Seeing Xu Benfen remain silent, Lia sneered.
Chapter 23: Assassins!
"Young Lady, do you intend to take action against those Aristocratic Families? Just like in Wuan Commandery?" Xu Benfen asked with a sigh.
He knew that even if he didn't speak, the young girl before him had ways to find out how the city's Aristocratic Families usually behaved. Such things couldn't be hidden; Common People in the city were all watching.
"Of course. Reclaiming the fertile lands of the Aristocratic Families and distributing them to Common People has always been my objective. Therefore, there is no room for negotiation," Lia said, looking at him with a firm expression.
"If those families hand over their lands, would you spare them, Young Lady?" Xu Benfen asked again.
"Heh, you're quite the advocate for those families. I suspect you received quite a few favors from them before I arrived? It seems General Li was mistaken when he called you a mediocre person," Lia sneered upon hearing this.
Hearing Lia say this, Li Lin, who was standing by, quickly apologized: "My Lord, it was my lack of perception. Please forgive me."
"It's fine. This fellow puts on a good act and fooled most people. Besides, I didn't ask you to conduct a deep investigation, so you merely believed his one-sided words."
After saying that, Lia glanced at Xu Benfen, whose forehead was slightly sweating, and said, "Your parents gave you a good name, but you haven't lived up to it. Take him away and have someone investigate his family property. Whether he's a good official will become clear immediately."
"Young Lady, I was wrong! I will honestly provide all the information about those families, not leaving out a single one!" Xu Benfen panicked when he heard Lia was going to audit his property.
"Humph, it's a bit too late to confess now, Lord Xu. Don't worry, Lord Xu, I won't kill a bad person by mistake, nor will I wrong a good person. Rest assured for now; if you truly are an honest official, I certainly won't make things difficult for you. Take him away!" Lia said coldly at last.
After Lord Xu was taken away, Li Lin lowered his head in shame; he had almost been deceived by a corrupt official.
Lia didn't think much of it. How could Li Lin, a military officer, compete with these civil officials? These civil officials had many schemes in their hearts, each one a cunning fox.
"General Li, take some men into the city immediately to collect news about these families. By tonight, I need all the information on them!"
For Lia, what she did in Wuan Commandery had already offended all the Aristocratic Families. To face the army of Liang Province, she needed to deal with these families first.
Otherwise, these families might stab her in the back when she faced the Liang Province army.
After all, her policies were hard to stomach even for those families that didn't bully others, let alone those who committed heinous acts.
It could be said that the Aristocratic Families were now Lia's enemies, but in return, Common People were all her supporters. This outcome wasn't bad.
"Yes!" Li Lin nodded and left immediately.
Lia didn't stay idle either; she also began to wander around Wuxing Commandery, intending to inquire from others about the various families in the area.
She also looked for any promising youths from humble backgrounds to cultivate. Since she had dealt a heavy blow to the families, none of their members would be willing to work for her.
By evening, Li Lin had finished collecting information about the families in Wuxing Commandery and placed it before Lia.
Lia didn't rest but directly looked at the information Li Lin had gathered. As she read, her brow furrowed more and more.
These Aristocratic Families truly did nothing good; they were a bunch of blood-sucking parasites, draining both the imperial court and Common People. They were all cut from the same cloth.
Lia grew angrier the more she read!
Lia took a brush and drew a red 'X' on the names of the families she felt were unforgivable. She marked those who only needed their homes raided with a checkmark and left the negotiable families untouched.
"Arrest everyone marked with an 'X' immediately. Tomorrow, publicize their crimes and execute the ringleaders. For those with a checkmark, simply raid their homes. As for those without any mark, leave them alone for now." Lia handed the decided list to Li Lin.
"Yes!" Li Lin took the list, glanced at it, and nodded.
After Li Lin left, Lia took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Thinking about those evil-doing families had completely ruined her mood.
Lia went to the garden, had the servants from the former Governor Xu's residence brew her a cup of tea, and began to sip it slowly.
At night, while everyone was asleep, Lia suddenly opened her eyes.
She sensed many people sneaking into the residence, and they were internal martial arts experts who had achieved some level of mastery.
"Heh, do these fellows think they can kill me?" With a little thought, Lia knew what these assassins were about.
Without a doubt, the news of her sending Li Lin to investigate the families this afternoon had leaked, so these families decided to strike first and take her out.
If she were killed, then the actions against their families wouldn't happen.
When she was in Wuan Commandery, there were no assassinations, but that was because those families hadn't reacted in time. In Wuxing Commandery, these families already knew about what happened in Wuan, so they naturally wouldn't sit and wait for death.