webnovelfull Chapter 566 The King of Linyi
Chapter 566 The King of Linyi
The predecessor of the Kingdom of Lin-yi was Xianglin County of the Han Dynasty. Since it was Han territory, they, as Han generals, had the right to reclaim it. Why not just seize the royal city and make their own decisions? Why pretend to be friendly with the royal family of Lin-yi?
Mi Fang was tempted by the words, but after a moment's consideration, she shook her head and refused, saying, "It's not appropriate. Our purpose is to survey the surrounding terrain to find grain crops. It's not advisable to cause trouble. Besides, there are some things that are inconvenient for us to do and we need the help of the Lin Yi Kingdom."
"The most important thing right now is to sell Lin-yi farm tools and teach them how to farm, and then buy grain from them, not to destroy them. If we really destroy Lin-yi, who will farm for us? We can't just carry hoes and do it ourselves, can we?"
It was easy to destroy the Lin-yi royal family, but it was difficult to completely control the Lin-yi Kingdom. They didn't even understand the local dialect, so how could they govern the people of Lin-yi and make them live and work in peace and contentment?
If the royal family of Lin-yi is really destroyed, rebellions will definitely break out all over the territory of Lin-yi. At that time, when all the people are running out to fight the Han army, who will have the mind to farm?
Therefore, we cannot take action against the Lin-yi royal family for the time being. Not only can we not take action, but we must also appease them and let them use their local influence to promote the policies of the Han Dynasty, actively cultivate the land and quickly improve the economy. Once the economy is up and the people are prosperous, the Han Dynasty can send troops to seize both land and wealth.
Mi Fang, a businessman by trade, had a far greater understanding of economics than Fu Shiren, a common soldier. As an expert in economics, he naturally knew how to maximize profits.
Fu Shiren nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Mi Fang continued, "During this time, you should take people around to see the land distribution of Lin Yi Kingdom, how much plains there are, how much mountains and hills there are, and whether they are suitable for cultivation. Then, based on the land conditions, formulate a policy for Lin Yi Kingdom to quickly reclaim wasteland."
Mi Fang had served as the governor of Nan Commandery before, so he was quite capable of governing the region. Governing the small town of Linyi was no problem for him.
The two discussed their next steps for a while before setting up camp and constructing fortifications.
Both were generals with rich combat experience. Naturally, they would take precautions in unfamiliar territory and build a camp to ensure safety before resting.
Just as dawn was breaking, Mi Fang was still sound asleep when he suddenly heard his personal guards shouting outside the tent: "General, King Qu Lian of Linyi requests an audience. He arrived last night at dawn and has been waiting until now. What do you think..."
Mi Fang turned over impatiently and said, "Let him keep waiting. We'll talk about it when I wake up."
I'm now an angel of the Great Han Dynasty. Do you think I'd be so eager to greet a king of a small country? Would an angel of the Great Han Dynasty be so degrading?
Mi Fang slept comfortably until the sun was high in the sky before waking up. She stretched and walked out of the tent, only to find a group of people standing respectfully waiting outside the camp. The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes, presumably Qu Lian, the king of Lin Yi Kingdom.
Mi Fang waved her hand and said, "Let them in."
The camp gates opened, and the middle-aged man in the lead told the others to remain outside the camp while he entered alone to pay his respects, saying, "I, Wang Qulian, pay my respects to the angel. The angel has condescended to come to my Linyi, which is an honor that brings glory to our humble abode."
Qu himself felt like vomiting at those words. When had he, as a king, ever been so humble to anyone?
But there was nothing he could do. Before he came to see Mi Fang, he had received news from Funan (Cambodia) that Liu Bei had unified Jiangnan and declared himself emperor. This news almost scared him to death.
It should be noted that back then, he killed the county magistrate and established himself as emperor when Dong Zhuo was in power and the Han Dynasty was in chaos, and the warlords in Jiangnan were too busy to attend to other matters.
As a traitor who betrayed the Han Dynasty, he naturally kept a close eye on the situation on the Han side to prevent the Han Dynasty from turning back to settle scores with him.
I thought the Han Dynasty was completely finished after the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's tyranny, or at least half-dead. But Liu Bei unexpectedly rose against the tide and unified Jiangnan. This was a real disaster.
What's even more critical is that the Han army came by sea instead of land. While there are mountains and rivers to block the way on land, the sea is completely unobstructed.
Therefore, upon learning the news, Qu Lian dared not be negligent in the slightest. He rushed from the capital to the seaside overnight. Before coming, he specially ordered people to dig out and clean the bronze pillar that Ma Yuan had built, which had been buried by the people with stones. He did this not for any other reason than to prevent Mi Fang from seeing the buried bronze pillar and becoming angry with them.
A weak nation has no diplomacy. In front of the mighty Han, the king of Lin-yi could not stand up for himself at all. Although the Han Dynasty established by Liu Bei only controlled half of the country, it was still easy to deal with Lin-yi. Faced with the unreasonable and powerful Han, what could Qu Lian, the king of Lin-yi, do but admit defeat?
Mi Fang stared at Qu Lian for a long time, looking down at him, before asking, "Do you know why I've come here this time?"
Qu Lian's expression changed slightly, and he quickly smiled apologetically, "Please enlighten me, angel."
With his hands behind his back and his nose in the air, Mi Fang said, "My king has already unified Jiangnan and sent me out to sea to inspect the surrounding areas and see if there are any people who are disloyal to our Han Dynasty. Do you understand what I mean?"
Qu Lian's expression changed again. After struggling for a moment, he cautiously asked, "Is the king the angel mentioned the King of Hanzhong? According to the news from Funan, the King of Hanzhong seems to have already ascended the throne and become emperor."
Damn angels, they didn't even know about such a big event as Liu Bei's ascension to the throne. How many days must they have been adrift at sea?
You've come all this way to Linyi to show off your power, aren't you tired?
"Uh..." Now it was Mi Fang's turn to be stunned. She asked in surprise, "He's already declared himself emperor? That's great news! Now that you know His Majesty has become emperor, why don't you go to pay tribute?"
Qu Lian had a toothache, but he continued to bend over with a forced smile, saying, "Xiao Wang was planning to go in the next few days, but he hasn't had a chance to leave yet!"
Going to Jiangling to pay tribute to Liu Bei? How could you even say that? Do you know how far Linyi is from Jiangling, and how many mountains separate them?
Qu Lian had no intention of going, but he dared not tell Mi Fang this. What if that damned angel took the opportunity to cause trouble again?
Qu Lian didn't dare let Mi Fang continue asking questions, fearing that saying too much would lead to trouble and Mi Fang would seize on the opportunity to ask more questions. He quickly changed the subject and said, "Angel, the King has prepared a small feast in the capital. It's windy by the sea. Why don't we move to the capital?"
Mi Fang pondered and said, "That's fine, but there's something important to do before we go to the capital. Bring it up."
The soldiers quickly brought over two wooden crates, and Mi Fang gestured with her eyes, "Open them and take a look."
When Qu Lian opened the box, he was immediately dazzled. Inside were farm tools such as shovels and hoes, as well as hand saws, machetes, axes, and other implements, all shiny and appealing.
Linyi was far less developed than the Han Dynasty. The king would only occasionally work in the fields, and having farmed before, he naturally understood the value of these agricultural tools.
Qu Lian tentatively asked, "Angel... this is..."
Could it be a reward given to him? If so, Liu Bei is too kind.
Mi Fang said, "His Majesty summoned me here for no other reason than to lament the hardships of the people's lives. He ordered me to collect grain seeds and cultivate new ones in order to increase grain production and ensure that all the people in the world can have enough to eat. Therefore, King of Linyi, please have your subjects collect grain seeds for me with all their might. Any kind of seed is acceptable. But I will not treat them unfairly. Tell your people to send a batch of new grain seeds in exchange for a new set of farming tools."
So it turns out they were searching for grain seeds, not attacking this traitorous Han official?
Upon hearing this, Qu Lian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately patted his chest, saying, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will immediately order the collection of grain seeds. Not to mention Linyi, I will even get you grain seeds from Funan."
Mi Fang patted his shoulder and smiled with satisfaction: "That's very good. Since the King of Linyi is so well-informed, he should know that His Majesty's main focus is on Cao Wei and he has no time to deal with your Linyi. Besides, Linyi is located in a remote mountainous area, and it is not easy for the Han army to come here. So if this matter is handled well, His Majesty may be pleased and recognize the existence of your Linyi. Do you understand what I mean?"