Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 241 235. World Line Convergence

Ma Su was somewhat unhappy to see that Deng Ai dared to pour cold water on him like this, but he was in front of Feng Xi, and Ma Su was not the kind of person who would throw a tantrum in front of others, so he just threw the question back to Deng Ai to see what he could say.

"Survey... investigate the terrain and cut off their... their retreat."

Deng Ai pointed to the connection between Jiaozhou and Nanzhong. Because of his stuttering, he spoke concisely, but those present were not stupid and understood what Deng Ai meant.

Deng Ai's intention was to first find out the situation in Nanzhong, and then send a surprise force from Jiaozhou to bypass the enemy and wipe out the barbarian's lair. Even if the barbarians would not surrender immediately, they would fall into chaos.

Combined with the plot of the original timeline, this is indeed Deng Ai's favorite tactic of attacking the enemy head-on.

"No, it's too risky to do so. There are many miasma and poisons in the south, and ordinary soldiers can't adapt to it. Moreover, if we go deep into the south, there will be a lack of supplies. I'm afraid that doing so will only lead to the annihilation of the whole army."

Feng Xi did not speak, and let Ma Su point out the loopholes in Deng Ai's plan. After all, Deng Ai was still young and inexperienced at this time, so it was a good thing for him to learn from Ma Su.

When Deng Ai heard Ma Su say this, he naturally didn't say much and just remained silent.

"What do you think, You Chang?"

Deng Ai calmed down, and Feng Xi looked at Ma Su. Ma Su must have had his own ideas for being able to refute Deng Ai like this.

"General, there are three strategies: the best, the middle and the worst. The worst strategy is to defeat the barbarians and capture and kill Meng Huo. But this will only make the barbarians more hostile to us Han people, and it can only be regarded as a solution to the immediate problem.

The middle strategy is to defeat the barbarians and then, like the Grand Commander did in Jiaozhou, split the barbarians internally, so that they fall into endless internal strife and become powerless to oppose the Han Dynasty. But this strategy is a bit... so it can only be considered a middle strategy. "

Speaking of what Feng Xi did in Jiaozhou, Ma Su could not help but hesitate and consider his words. From the perspective of traditional Confucianism, Feng Xi's policies in Jiaozhou were really insidious. Although they were very effective, they were absolutely contrary to the benevolence and morality of the Han people for thousands of years.

Although the model of Jiaozhou could definitely not be applied to Nanzhong, Ma Su vaguely felt that as long as Zhuge Liang needed it, the commander-in-chief would be able to come up with a plan that suited the situation in Nanzhong immediately.

Feng Xi naturally didn't know what Ma Su was saying. If he knew, he would definitely applaud Ma Su. Although the situation in Nanzhong couldn't be directly applied to the situation in Jiaozhou, it was indeed not a difficult task for Feng Xi.

Nanzhong directly used the infamous Mountbatten Plan of the British Empire as a model, artificially dividing the 72 caves in Nanzhong into multiple ethnic groups, and then transformed the system of chieftainship with one dominant tribe into a parliamentary system in which the chiefs of all tribes had equal rights, and then used the military force of the Han army as a guarantee for the parliamentary system to prevent the emergence of a dictator.

It won't take too long. Soon, the Nanzhong, which was originally forcibly unified, will soon be at odds with each other because of the dirty things between the various caves. When Meng Huo was alive, he could suppress these conflicts with his autocratic dictatorship. If everyone is equal, who needs to obey whom?

By then, Nanzhong will slowly fight its way out of trouble. What does it have to do with Ji Han? Even if they can use their traditional skills to win over a group of southern barbarians and slowly demonstrate the benefits of sinicization, Nanzhong can be transformed into the land of the Han Dynasty "since ancient times".

By that time, you will become a member of a big Chinese family, and you will have the foundation to debate with great scholars.

You should know that in the Zhou Dynasty, there were four barbarians: Dongyi, Nanman, Xirong and Beidi. Where did Dongyi live? It was in the modern Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui areas.

If you go to Shandong in the 21st century and say "You Dongyi barbarians are not Han people", you will definitely be beaten up by Shandong Han people in the street. It's because during the Zhou Dynasty, not only Dongyi, but also Xirong, most of Beidi, and some Nanman were annexed and became part of the Huaxia family.

Then, according to ancient books, those intellectuals found out which tribe the Dongyi were descended from, and which tribe the Xirong were descended from, so that they could have a foothold. Then, after the Hanization of the Zhou and Qin dynasties, it became the traditional territory of the Central Plains. Isn't it the same for the Shu people? Shu was also a barbarian land in its early years, but after experiencing the Qin and Han dynasties, it became the land of abundance where Emperor Gaozu accomplished his mission. No one would think that they were not part of the Chinese civilization.

Ultimately, it is because of the lack of sinicization. If Feng Xi follows some of the unethical means in his mind for the future, it will only take two or three generations to sinicize these barbarians.

"What do you think is the best strategy?"

Feng Xi wanted to hear what Ma Su's best strategy was, so he urged him.

"The best strategy is to attack the heart. By using both kindness and force, we can make the southern barbarians willing to submit and never rebel again. This can not only ensure the peace of our rear, but also allow us to use the southern barbarians to replenish our troops. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

When Ma Su mentioned his strategy of winning people's hearts, he could not help but raise his head and look a little proud.

"Haha, in that case, Youchang, you should pack up and prepare to go to Chengdu. It just so happens that the routine correspondence with Sichuan this month has not been sent yet, so you can also tell the Prime Minister about your thoughts. Remember, you must tell the Prime Minister about the possibilities that are not conducive to the development of our Han Dynasty."

Feng Xi was indeed a little worried that because Ma Su came to him, Zhuge Liang's policy would be in trouble. If it was a good change, it would be fine, but if it was some stupid move, it would be bad.

"I understand."

Ma Su was also excited when he heard that he could personally tell Zhuge Liang about his ideas. It was a great honor for Ma Su to be able to show up in front of these leaders and speak freely.

I feel a sense of satisfaction, as if “Look, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty still wants my advice.”

"Well, go down and pack up, and go find your brother and Gong Heng."

These daily communication matters were naturally the responsibility of Ma Liang and Huang Quan. How could Feng Xi possibly worry about these paperwork?
Ma Su nodded and left happily.

"Grand... Grand Commander, I am also..."

When Deng Ai saw Ma Su leaving, he also bowed and wanted to leave.

"Wait a minute, Shi Zai, sit down first, let's have a good chat."

Feng Xi waved his hand, signaling Deng Ai not to leave in a hurry, as he did have a lot to talk about. Deng Ai saw that the Grand Commander had spoken, so he could only sit down obediently, but did not speak, waiting for the Grand Commander to speak.

"Although Youchang pointed out some shortcomings in your plan just now. But if my great Han people were dragged into the mountains and forests by the southern barbarians due to miasma, unfamiliarity with the terrain, etc., I am afraid that I would really suggest doing this at that time."

Feng Xi affirmed Deng Ai's opinion. This plan was indeed a bit risky, but Feng Xi did not want Ji Han to be trapped in the south like in the original timeline due to insufficient troops and the need to win over the hearts of the southern barbarians, delaying the Northern Expedition.

If necessary, according to his previous idea, it would be possible to disrupt Nanzhong first and then slowly integrate it in the future.

(End of this chapter)