Chapter 24: Please Give Me Nanhai Commandery

Shi Xie scrutinized Zhao Shaojie’s earnest expression, feeling a sense of surprise. Liu Bei now held only a single county, yet his subordinates were already concerned about remote commanderies like Jiaozhi?

He truly did have the Han Empire at heart!

"And what is your opinion then?" Shi Xie asked with keen interest.

Zhao Shaojie did not stand on ceremony. Drawing from policies used by later nations—such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Korea—to assimilate ethnic groups, he spoke bluntly: "If you wish to keep Jiaozhi in the hands of our Great Han forever, I have two strategies for your consideration."

"The first is discrimination. In Jiaozhi, the Han people must be prioritized in all matters. Paths to social status and wealth—whether through officialdom or commerce—must be completely sealed off to the barbarians. Emphasize Han customs, Han traditions, the Han script, and the Chinese language. Prohibit all barbarian cultural activities, and if necessary, levy heavier taxes on them."

"The second is assimilation. Under such high-pressure policies, if the barbarians wish to thrive, they must inevitably merge with our Han people. Therefore, encourage intermarriage; as long as one parent is Han, their descendants shall be considered Han. Simultaneously, imply to the people of Jiaozhi that they are actually descendants of the Qin people and the ancestors of Yan and Huang. Once they relearn the language and script and rediscover their lineage, they can be reclassified as Han."

Shi Xie listened, nodding slightly, his gaze turning soft and appreciative. However, he shook his head: "Commander Zhao’s strategies are indeed sound. If implemented, they would surely assimilate the barbarians... but wouldn't that mean the barbarians would taint our noble Han bloodline?"

As a man from the future, Zhao Shaojie held no such ethnic prejudices, and he was momentarily stunned by this remark. Yet, upon reflection, he realized that although the Great Han was currently mired in civil strife, the prestige established over hundreds of years was deeply ingrained. Every citizen took pride in being a subject of the Han; how could they look upon the "barbarians" as equals, let alone merge with them?

"Then there is no choice but to kill them!" Zhao Shaojie gritted his teeth.

Shi Xie frowned and shook his head: "There are too many barbarians; they cannot be wiped out. If the actions are too drastic, it will surely alert them, leading to constant rebellions and plunging Jiaozhi into chaos."

Zhao Shaojie finally saw the truth: Shi Xie was not up to the task. He thought of later history, where white settlers had nearly brought the Native Americans to extinction—how could they not be wiped out? If one was both repulsed by the barbarian bloodline and unwilling to commit to ruthless slaughter, nothing could be accomplished.

"If you cannot bear the bloodshed, and yet refuse to assimilate them, then in a hundred years, once the barbarians outnumber the Han, I fear Jiaozhi and its lands will no longer belong to our Great Han," Zhao Shaojie sighed. "To resist the many with the few while ignoring the roots of the problem—the day of collapse will come sooner or later."

Shi Xie remained silent.

In this way, was he truly to become a traitor to his people?

After a moment, he sought to excuse himself: "Is the power of the Great Han something that mere barbarians can shake? Commander Zhao, you are overthinking."

Zhao Shaojie spoke plainly: "If the Great Han had no internal strife, clear governance, and strong military power, it would naturally have no fear of rebellion in Jiaozhi. But if the Han falls into civil war, and Jiaozhi lacks a figure like yourself to maintain order, and the central government has no strength to provide support, what then?"

Shi Xie was silent once more. Observing Zhao Shaojie’s worried expression, he marveled that Liu Bei possessed men of such foresight. However, he no longer wished to delve into this topic and deliberately steered the conversation away: "If such a thing were to happen, it would be in the distant future. Commander Zhao, why not speak of the current situation? Cao Mengde has already unified the north, the Central Plains, and the regions of Yong and Liang. Must Liu Xuande continue to resist?"

Though annoyed by the change of subject, Zhao Shaojie replied: "My lord is a scion of the Han imperial house. How can he stand by and watch the Han empire become the Cao family's domain?"

Shi Xie mused: "Lord Mengde may not necessarily commit such an act of usurpation!"

It was strange; the emperors of the Eastern Han were all quite unfortunate. They were either controlled by relatives of the empress or by the inner court, and thus rarely held real power. Many held illusions about Cao Cao, believing him to be merely another powerful minister who would never dare to depose the Han emperor and declare himself sovereign.

But Zhao Shaojie, coming from the future, knew the outcome. He whispered: "You should know that I defected to Lord Xuande from the north. Do you know why?"

Before Shi Xie could ask, Zhao Shaojie continued: "There are already those under Cao Cao urging him to claim the throne. Cao Cao specifically asked his top general, Xiahou Dun, about this. Xiahou Dun told him that once the world is unified, he may claim the throne. Cao Cao agreed."

Shi Xie’s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

After a long time, Shi Xie sighed: "So that is how it is..." He looked up and asked: "I will not interfere with the commanderies of Yulin and Cangwu; you may handle them as you please. But I must ask: does Commander Zhao truly believe Lord Xuande can stop Lord Mengde in Jingzhou?"

At this, Zhao Shaojie’s frustration vanished, and he spoke loudly: "Rest assured, Lord Shi. Cao Cao’s march south this year will surely end in a crushing defeat. He acts against the heavens, intent on usurping the Han; the heavens themselves will not tolerate him!"

"However, Lord Shi, I have one personal request."

Shi Xie was surprised for a moment at such immense confidence—that he would dare predict a crushing defeat for Cao Cao—and chuckled: "Please, speak."

"Please grant me Nanhai Commandery!" Zhao Shaojie said sincerely.

Shi Xie’s expression shifted, his gaze turning sharp. In truth, aside from his belief that slaughtering the barbarians was against the will of heaven, he hoped to rely on the prestige of the Shi clan to guard the region. If that prestige could be passed down to his descendants, the imperial court would allow his lineage to govern Jiaozhi forever for the sake of local stability.

Nanhai Commandery was his bargaining chip for the future.

Before Shi Xie could fly into a rage, Zhao Shaojie added: "Think about it, Lord Shi. In the world today, Liu Zhang is foolish and Liu Biao is aging; the only ones who could reach into Jiaozhi are Lord Xuande, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan. Jiaozhi is remote, and with you in charge, none of these three would move against you. But what of a hundred years from now? The central government will inevitably strip your descendants of their titles. When that happens, they will surely refuse to submit. Once they rebel, it will mean the destruction of your entire clan!"

"Given this, it would be better to voluntarily consolidate, keeping only the governorship of Jiaozhi. That way, if your descendants have thoughts of rebellion, they will not dare to act rashly."

Zhao Shaojie’s eyes gleamed as he lowered his voice: "If you have the ambition to become a king, I think it would be better to move deep into the barbarian lands, occupy a territory, and found your own nation. Then, petition the court for investiture, much like the Duke of Zhou was enfeoffed in ancient times—ruling over the barbarians and expanding the borders. A thousand years from now, when another Qin Shi Huang arises, our Han empire will have gained even more territory!"

Shi Xie was pale with shock. He had been furious at the suggestion that his family would meet with destruction, but now, the boy was encouraging him to go into the barbarian wilderness and declare himself king?!

Did this youth have no sense of taboo? How could Liu Bei tolerate such a person?

After a long period of contemplation, Shi Xie spoke solemnly: "Allow me to consider this."

Zhao Shaojie said earnestly: "You must believe me! Your prestige does not mean your descendants will possess the same. Ambition grows with power. For the sake of your family’s century-long future, you must know when to advance and when to retreat!"