Chapter 627 Returning

Chapter 627 Returning

Chapter 627 Returning
The news Lu Shen brought back was both shocking and reasonable.

The Tuoba Dai Kingdom still had strong grassland remnants, so it is not surprising that such a thing happened.

Just to mention one thing, the people in their tribe use their father's name as their surname, rather than their mother's clan, but this has only been the case for a few decades.

At this time, the upper class took their father's clan as their surname, the middle class had a mixture of the two, some took their father's clan as their surname, and some took their father's name as their surname. At the bottom, it was very common for many to take their mother's clan as their surname.

This is the remnant of matriarchal society.

There are two types of marriage.

Normally, a man and a woman would "fall in love" without their parents' permission, but the people of Jin Dynasty looked down on this and called it "cheat". After being together for half a year or a hundred days, if they were satisfied, they would send a matchmaker to send horses, cattle and sheep as betrothal gifts. If they were not satisfied, they would just forget it and break up.

After marriage, the husband lives in his wife's house. When he sees his wife's family, no matter how senior they are, he bows to them in the morning.

After serving as a servant for two years, the wife's family prepared a dowry and "sent their daughter away generously". However, apart from the dowry, the other property accumulated during the two years was not allowed to be taken away, and the couple left the house with nothing.

When he got home, he obeyed his wife in everything, except fighting—"he followed the woman's advice, and when it came to fighting, he decided on his own."

Women even often participate in pre-war planning, handling domestic affairs, etc.

This is also a remnant of the matriarchal society.

Another abnormal way of marriage is to snatch someone else's bride halfway through. Those who understand will understand.

In the past ten years or so, a large number of people from Jin have defected to Tuoba Xianbei, helping them to sort out their internal affairs, reform their systems and even change their customs. However, the time was still short and the social atmosphere could not be completely changed in just a dozen or dozens of years. Therefore, Tuoba Dai Kingdom was actually a country with traditional customs as the main body and Chinese customs as the supplement, and it was a mixture of various ethnic groups such as Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiongnu, Jie, and Han.

If there is a wise and enlightened ruler who is determined to reform, the country will prosper.

Tuoba Yilu was not bad, he was above average, under his leadership, the national strength of Tuoba Dai was increasing every year. But in his later years, he became incompetent, and this mess happened.

The chaos is mainly confined to Shengle and Xinping, and other areas are generally stable. Tribal nobles and county officials are waiting to decide on a new leader. That's all, unless you have a grudge against the new leader and are forced to flee.

Therefore, Shao Xun first let Lu Chen calm down, and then asked: "Is there any unusual movement in Dai County?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment and said, "It should be the same as usual."

"That's right." Shao Xun nodded and said, "It's just a coup d'état by the central government to seize power. Pugen became the final winner, and there won't be any major changes for the time being."

Lu Shi felt a little regretful.

"However, Liu Kun offended the Tuoba clan, and his future days will be difficult," Shao Xun added.

Liu Kun's son Liu Zun was a hostage on the surface, but in fact he was treated very well and the management was very relaxed. Liu Zun was free to play in Shengle, ride horses, hunt, and make friends, and no one stopped him.

But at the critical moment, he personally joined the fight and led 30,000 Hu and Han soldiers and civilians south to Bingzhou. Isn't this stabbing a friend in the back? Even if they don't pursue the matter for the sake of their past friendship, they have already offended him, and it will be extremely difficult to expect Tuoba Xianbei to come south to rescue them in the future - even if they are willing to come, the price will not be the previous "friendship price".

"But there's no harm in giving it a try." Shao Xun said, "Zili can be the governor of Guangning and pacify the people of Dai."

"Yes, sir." Lu Shen replied.

Guangning County is very poor, with few people, and most of the people are Hu people. It must be uncomfortable to be a governor there. But it is easy to achieve results, which is the most important thing.

After dealing with this matter, Shao Xun sent someone with a batch of gifts to travel east to Liaoxi to meet Murong Han.

The main purpose was to express gratitude for joining the expedition, and at the same time to tell him that the Duan army had been dealt with and there was no need to attack.

I recognize the Liaoxi County that you occupy. From now on, both sides will guard their own borders and live in peace.

Murong Han could not make the decision on whether to start a war. After all, the matter was too big and Murong Wei had to make the decision.

Murong Wei is relatively sober and rational, and Shao Xun hopes that he will not act rashly. Shao Xun really doesn't want to waste any more time in Youzhou.

******
When Lu Shen was leaving, he saw a woman being surrounded by people. Wherever she passed, the Jie people with high noses and deep eyes all bowed down with their heads buried in the mud.

What a bunch of Jiehu! He laughed to himself.

The slaves of the noble families in the Central Plains would not be so humble. What a barbaric slave tribe.

"Your two tribes have been fighting each other, and one person has died. If the fight is not resolved, the casualties will increase. Now I am giving you forty-nine horses and cattle from your family and some funeral objects. Can you settle the dispute?" The woman asked seriously, holding a horsewhip.

"We wish for peace." The leaders of the two clans prostrated themselves on the ground and said loudly.

Liu Ye waved his hand and asked another person to come forward and said, "Do you know the crime of stealing the property of your fellow soldiers?"

"Convicted."

"If you steal one piece of official property, you must pay five. If you steal private property, you must pay ten. You stole two pieces of jerky, so you must pay twenty. Do you have any objection?"

"No."

Lu Shen looked at it for a while and became worried.

I heard that Liu Ye Na was very obedient and served Chen Gong attentively in front of him, but I didn't expect that he was such a person behind the scenes.

Lu Shen was disgusted and even a little disgusted by the hens crowing at dawn. Why were the Hu people like this?

While I was thinking about it, a scream came from not far away.

He turned around and saw a Jie man tied up and thrown to the ground. Several knights took turns to step forward and trample on his ankles with their horses' hooves. The screams just now should have been caused by his ankles being broken or even crushed.

What crime is this?

He had heard of this kind of tribal punishment, called "Zha Xing", which existed during the Xiongnu period. It was a punishment for people who committed crimes or military law but whose crimes were not punishable by death.

The executions were supervised by officials, and sometimes horses were not used but wheels were used instead.

The rollers decide on their own which part of the body to roll, how many times to roll, how much weight the vehicle is carrying, etc., which is very cruel.

This woman!

The tribal leader usually serves as the military commander and judge, and pronounces sentences according to their laws. In theory, it is nothing, the law is the law, if you think it is cruel, just abolish these corporal punishments, but the judgments made by others are based on the law, and perhaps they are used to it and don't care.

But Lu Shen still felt a little uncomfortable when a woman personally sentenced a man to death.

When Lu Shen left, Duan Shefu Chen was ordered to enter the tent.

He paused for a moment when he saw someone performing the torture of crushing.

But he paid more attention to the Jie cavalry. Last year, a scholar from Hebei went to Liaoxi to seek refuge with Murong Wei, and they had a conversation when they passed by. The man said contemptuously that Shao relied on women to succeed. He didn't believe it at first, but after seeing it today, he believed it a little.

Is that Shi Le's wife Liu? She was indeed a great beauty, what a pity.

While feeling disdainful in his heart, he was also a little envious of Shao Ze. How could he be so good at coaxing women? He could deceive thousands of soldiers with just one woman. If he could coax ten women at the same time, wouldn't that mean tens of thousands of soldiers?
Duan Shefuchen secretly thought that he would marry his daughter off when he got home, so that the thief Shao wouldn't target him and drain out his family property.

We must not let the thief Shao get close to our women!

After leaving angrily, Duan Shefu Chen quickly entered the big tent and saluted respectfully.

"She Fuchen, you didn't work very hard when we went south to Zhangwu last year. Why?" Shao Xun was talking with Zhang Bin when he saw Duan She Fuchen come in and asked.

"Your Excellency is the great ruler of the world, and I dare not act rashly." Duan Shefuchen replied.

Shao Xun nodded and asked, "Why didn't you come a few days ago?"

When this matter was mentioned, She Fuchen was very angry and gnashed his teeth and said, "My nephew Ji Lu's relatives were selfish and ungrateful. They tricked me into organizing troops in the pasture, and brought the four brothers to see you in person. It took me several days to find out, so I came here in a hurry."

Shao Xun laughed.

Zhang Bin said, "On the day of Shefu, Duke Liaoxi wanted to ask for the post of commander of Yutian Town for my third brother Duan Shujun. However, Duke Chen knew that you were submissive and did not agree. This is a favor of saving your life, so don't forget it."

Duan Shefuchen bowed again, choking with tears, and said, "I will never forget your great kindness."

Shao Xun asked him to get up, and then asked, "Where is Duan Mobo? Didn't you inform him?"

"Duan Mobo is on the way." She Fuchen replied.

Of course I informed him, but I did so after I had set out, so that he would be a step behind.

Now that we know the truth, it seems unnecessary. But in this world, can we not be a little more cautious?
Duan Mobo was miserable. He had no status or official position, so he could only be a local tyrant. He might even be expelled by Youzhou officials in the future. Of course, before that, Duan Mobo's people might have been divided up by him, Duan Jilu and his brothers.

"I won't stay in Youzhou for long. After I leave, if someone attacks Beiping or Youzhou, you must obey the military orders of the governor You Tong and send troops to fight. On weekdays, you can plant and harvest by yourself, and no one will care about you. Before the end of the year, I will appoint governors and lieutenants to manage the military towns, and someone will come to discuss with you then." Shao Xun said, "Don't cause trouble. You can only survive if you have my back. Murong Han is in Liaoxi, and he can't wait to annex your people now. Think about it, after being defeated by Murong, can you survive?"

"Yes, sir." Duan Shefuchen agreed immediately without any hesitation.

Perhaps some people think that once Shao Xun leaves, they can continue to dominate, but Duan Shefuchen is not that stupid.

As long as the Murong and Yuwen families are still around, they really cannot do without the protection of the Jin Dynasty.

Moreover, tribal feuds were so fierce that when the nobles grew old, there were countless cases of fathers, sons and brothers killing each other.

Lord Chen promised them hereditary military command. Isn't that a huge fortune?
Duan Shefuchen didn't even dare to guarantee that his son would be able to take over the tribe after his death.

Now the imperial court helped him and his descendants to consolidate their positions, and everyone's interests were actually highly consistent, so he had no reason to rebel. Unless one day Lord Chen no longer allowed his family to inherit the post of Yutian Town Commander, then it would be necessary to fight back.

"Recruit your soldiers and go fight Su Shuyan. Hurry up, I won't wait too long." Shao Xun waved his hand and said.

Duan Shefu Chen bowed and took his leave.

Shao Xun thought quietly for a while, then called Liu Ying, who had recently been appointed as the household official of General Longxiang's shogunate, and said, "Go see Duan Mobo and tell him frankly that he can lead his people to follow me south, and his brother Duan Ya can be appointed as the commander of Beiping County. If he is unwilling, I will give his people and cattle to the brothers of Ji Lu."

"Yes, sir." Liu Ying immediately left the tent.

"It's finally almost done." Shao Xun sighed.

"You should return to Luoyang and complete the ceremony as soon as possible." Zhang Bin advised: "This is a major event, and the world is looking forward to it."

"Yeah." Shao Xun stood up, walked out of the tent, looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside, and stretched out his hand.

A golden eagle descended from the sky and landed on the leather case.

When the Hu people outside saw this, they bowed to the ground.

Liu Ye had already judged the dispute among the tribes, and his face still had a dignified expression. When he saw Shao Xun, his expression changed, and he immediately walked over, took his arm, and said, "You are becoming more and more like a great Khan."

Shao Xun smiled. It was no longer the era when the Huns used bone arrows. The chaos caused by the Hu people since the Later Han Dynasty had reached a point where it could no longer be resolved by force.

Sometimes I really hate the development of cavalry technology and tactics.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, there were no stirrups or high saddles for actual combat, and most Huns rode directly on horseback or covered their horsebacks with a felt blanket.

When going up and down the mountain, you need to constantly change your forward and backward posture to maintain balance, and clamp the horse's belly with your legs when moving. In fact, you can't do very complicated movements.

The Western Han cavalry even often dismounted to fight on the ground, because their riding skills were far inferior to those of the Xiongnu people who had practiced riding sheep since childhood, so they simply dismounted and formed a battle formation.

The combat effectiveness of the cavalry during the Western Han Dynasty was actually very poor.

But by the end of the Western Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the primitive saddle pad was transformed into a high-bridge saddle, which allowed the cavalry to effectively use some of the strength of the waist and abdomen, thus increasing their combat effectiveness. Wu Han's cavalry charge with spears in hand was a tactical revolution that played a huge role.

By this time, double stirrups and saddles with high front and low back had gradually become popular. The cavalry could now fully utilize the strength of their waists, abdomens, and legs, and their combat effectiveness had once again increased by leaps and bounds.

Coupled with the progress of the Hu people's iron smelting technology and the technological spillover caused by the chaos in the Central Plains, they can charge at you with armored cavalry, which is completely different from the poor appearance of the Hu people in the Western Han Dynasty.

The era of relying on equipment to bully the Hu people is over, and we must find a new way out...

The practices of the Northern Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty were also helpless: diplomacy and military power coexisted, and they directly interfered in the politics of the grassland, making it impossible for the grassland to unify internally. They fought and pulled, divided and disintegrated the barbarians, turned them into their own use, and slowly assimilated them.

But this method is very time-consuming and cannot last long. However, this is how things are. There is no way to achieve long-term stability. Politicians who can think about the next 20 to 30 years are very good, let alone a hundred years?

"Come back to Luoyang with me." Shao Xun held Liu Ye's hand and said softly.

Liu Ye was actually not very willing to do that.

In Youzhou, she can monopolize Shao Xun and snuggle in his arms every night.

After returning to Luoyang, she didn't know how long it would take for her to smell his scent. Moreover, the rules in the Central Plains were strict, and she was afraid that she would not be able to adapt.

"Let's go." Shao Xun patted her hand and said, "That is my foundation. Without Henan, I can't take Hebei, let alone make the Xianbei and other tribes submit."

"Okay." Liu Ye said unhappily.

After saying that, she looked up at Shao Xun and said, "My dear, I...I might be pregnant."

(End of this chapter)