Chapter 423: Chapter 244 Lingnan is a Place of Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers
At the residence of He Lianfang at the border of the East and the West Market.
Zhao Yao was reading letters sent back by He Lianfang’s people about the Lingnan situation, while He Lianfang quietly drank tea by his side.
After finishing the letters, Zhao Yao carefully examined the map of the Lingnan region.
Zhao Yao knew nothing about Lingnan; he only knew it had been a place of exile since ancient times. Over time, after reading many letters sent back from Lingnan, he gained some understanding of the place.
The situation in Lingnan was worse than he imagined. Not to mention the miasma, just the living conditions there were extremely harsh. In short, one word—poor! Two words—really poor! Three words—extremely poor!
Poor and remote areas breed troublesome people, and the locals there were very tough. Moreover, most of the populace were descendants of criminals.
There were frequent riots, and cases of looting, burning, and killing occurred often. However, since Yan Huarong went to the Southern Border and dispatched an army to guard Lingnan, the situations of rioting and looting, burning, and killing have decreased significantly. However, many problems still persisted in the countryside.
Besides having many Han people, Lingnan also had a considerable number of locals. The local people of Lingnan were called "barbarians."
Deep within the mountains of Lingnan, there were many tribes, whose people were extremely fierce and very bold.
Initially, when Yan Huarong sent a troop to Lingnan to guard, the people of these tribes launched a surprise attack on the military camp, killing many soldiers.
Although Yan Huarong was often mocked by Shen Hu and others for looking like a woman, his methods were completely contrary to his delicate and beautiful appearance.
These tribes attacked and killed his soldiers, so he personally led the army to retaliate, wiping out several tribes in succession.
These fierce tribes originally thought the Central Plains people were weak and easily bullied, but unexpectedly, they encountered a tough opponent, even more ferocious than them.
After several tribes were wiped out in a row, the remaining tribes naturally sought revenge for them, but they almost got wiped out by Yan Huarong too.
After witnessing Yan Huarong’s terrifying prowess, the tribes in Lingnan finally became docile and dared not to attack the soldiers of Great Zhou anymore.
Initially, the emperor sent Yan Huarong to the Southern Border because he was ruthless. Dealing with the Southern Border’s barbarians required someone as ruthless as Yan Huarong.
Facts proved that the emperor’s decision was correct.
Since Yan Huarong came to the Southern Border, the people here have become much more obedient. Several countries near the Southern Border also have become much more docile, especially after Annan Country was conquered.
"Sigh..." Zhao Yao sighed heavily and solemnly.
He Lianfang heard Zhao Yao’s sigh, put down the tea cup in his hand, and looked up at the worried-faced Zhao Yao.
"What’s the matter?"
Zhao Yao propped his face with both hands and said miserably, "Lingnan is even poorer than I imagined." The most important thing is that there are many mountains and forests over there. Moreover, the weather is hot, with lots of mosquitoes and miasma, leading to a shorter lifespan for the locals. Many people in Lingnan die each year from miasma or unknown illnesses. "It’s also more dangerous than I imagined." He went to Lingnan to survive, but it’s possible that once he goes there, he might not live long.
"What, you don’t have confidence in developing Lingnan?" He Lianfang had picked up on the term "develop" from Zhao Yao himself.
"I think it will be very difficult." Zhao Yao lay on the table, puffing his cheeks, and said, "I feel it will take a long time to develop that place."
"As long as you can win over the people there, they will be loyal to you," He Lianfang said, "and they will make excellent soldiers."
"Uncle, which people do you think are tougher, those from the Northern Border or the Southern Border?"
"From ancient times, poor mountains and bad waters produce troublesome people. Both the Northern Border and Southern Border people are very tough," He Lianfang said calmly. "They bully the weak and fear the strong. As long as you are stronger than them, they will never dare to rebel against you."
"I actually don’t want to find it so troublesome." Zhao Yao lay on the table, rolling his little head back and forth on it. "I feel there will be a lot of trouble going to Lingnan." He felt that after going to Lingnan, he would have many issues to solve. First, he needed to solve the poverty problem in Lingnan. Next, he needed to deal with these troublesome locals. Finally, he had to tackle the miasma issue.
"Lingnan is your future fief. Regardless of how troublesome they are, you must solve them," He Lianfang said with amusement while looking at Zhao Yao. "Do you think there won’t be these troubles when you go to Qingzhou? The officials in Qingzhou aren’t as easy to handle as you might imagine."
Zhao Yao straightened up and said, "That’s true; compared to the tough people of the Southern Border, the officials are even more troublesome." For the disobedient ones, if you beat them up, they’ll obediently listen, but officials like to play tricks. To fight against them, you have to use schemes and tactics.