Chapter 784: Peace

Chapter 784: Peace

Chapter 784: Peace

Starting from mid-June, Bingzhou began to experience continuous rainy days.

When the first drop of rain fell, all the Xianbei nobles couldn't help but look up at the sky.

There seems to be one more reason to withdraw troops.

Wei Xiong and Ji Dan sat in the tent, looking at the gloomy and irritable Tuoba Yulu, without saying much.

As the political representatives of the farming forces within the Tuoba Dynasty, they are a typical new party.

Wei Xiong's uncle Wei Cao and Wei Deyuan were from Dai County, and their ancestors were actually from the same clan as the Wei family of Anyi. "During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, (Wei Hao) was conscripted from Dai County for Confucianism, and died in Anyi, Hedong. He was given the land where he died and buried, and his descendants settled there."

The Anyi Wei family is a branch of the Daijun Wei family, but now its size and influence far exceed those who stayed in their hometown.

Wei Cao and Wei Xiong once led a dozen relatives and fellow villagers (Ji Dan was among them) to join Tuoba Yiyi, who was in charge of the northern part of Dai County and the grassland behind the mountains, and said that he was recruiting people from Jin to serve him.

Afterwards, Tuoba Yiyi used troops repeatedly, and they often offered advice and suggestions.

In the seventh year of Yuankang (297), Tuoba Yiyi crossed the desert and attacked the Mobei steppe, subduing many tribes. He then sent troops from the Mobei steppe, heading west, and fought for five consecutive years. By the first year of Yongning (301), he had expanded the western border of Tuoba Xianbei to the former territory of Wusun.

Four years later, Tuoba Yiyi died and Tuoba Yilu succeeded him.

If Tuoba Yilu carried out drastic political reforms for the Dai Kingdom, his elder brother Tuoba Yiyi made great achievements in military affairs.

Including the tribes that were nominally surrendered and vassalized, the east-west border of the Tuoba Dai Kingdom was more than 10,000 miles long, spanning the grasslands south and north of the desert, laying the foundation for the Tuoba Xianbei - in the entire tribal alliance, in addition to the Tuoba clan, there were a total of 75 tribes with different surnames, including Zheju, Yifu, Hegu, Helan, Dugu, Qiulin, Xubu, and Potuhan.

Of course, this is just the territory of the tribal alliance, just like the Daha Alliance and Yaonian Alliance (Eight tribes including the Yelu clan) of the Khitan in later generations. The Tuoba clan is only the leader of this tribe. They can go to war together and defend against the enemy together, but they usually have a high degree of freedom and may migrate away one day.

The territory actually controlled by the Tuoba clan only reached the Shuofang area south of the Yin Mountains and was a little further north of the Yin Mountains.

But the alliance was not without effect, at least they were nominally vassals of the Tuoba clan. To put it bluntly, if the north was unified one day and the Central Plains sent a large army to attack the two capitals in the north and south, the Tuoba Xianbei would still have grasslands to run to.

Run far away, wait for chaos in the Central Plains, and then find an opportunity to fight back - this is also their historical trajectory. After Fu Jian mobilized 300,000 people to destroy their country, Tuoba Xianbei fled to the grassland, and returned cautiously a few years later, because the Former Qin court could not care about them at all.

Wei Cao was once granted the title of Marquis of Dingxiang and served as prime minister.

Wei Xiong and Ji Dan were both capable of providing advice and making plans, as well as leading troops in battles. They were highly valued by Tuoba Yiyi, who appointed them as generals and led them to conquer various places on the grassland. They gained great reputations and were awarded the titles of Marquis of Yunzhong and Marquis of Loufan for their meritorious services. It is worth mentioning that these titles were all titles of the Jin Dynasty, because Duke Dai was nominally a subject of the Jin Dynasty. Except for Wei Cao's title of Marquis of Dingxiang, which was bestowed upon him by Sima Teng, the titles of the latter two were obtained for him by Tuoba Yiyi from the Jin court.

After Tuoba Yilu came to power, Wei Cao died of illness, but Wei Xiong and Ji Dan were still valued and served as left and right assistants respectively.

After Tuoba Pugen came to power, they were lured by Liu Zun and took 30,000 Hu and Han people south to join Liu Kun.

Later, Liu Kun was defeated by the Huns, and both of them fled back to Dai County.

Later, Tuoba Yulu came to power and proclaimed himself King of Dai. Because the two had made great contributions, he pardoned their crimes, but did not give them official positions.

Wei Xiong and Ji Dan are not young anymore. They are only the "Yang Zhen" (three dukes and nobles) of Tuoba Dai. They have a high status but no real power. They are just advisors to Tuoba Yulu and make suggestions, which may not be accepted. This seems to be a reflection of the status of the New Party in Tuoba Dai.

Of course, although Madam Qi has made great efforts to win over the New Party and Tuoba Yulu relied on the Old Party to come to power, when it comes to these two people themselves, haha, they may not necessarily be inclined towards the New Party or the Old Party.

That's the tricky thing about politics.

Individuals are individuals, political forces are political forces, and people are good at disguise.

"I issued an order to mobilize the desert cavalry. Is there any news?" After a long silence, Tuoba Yulu asked, sitting cross-legged behind the desk.

Wei Xiong and Ji Dan continued to remain silent.

"Your Majesty, the people from Hexi won't be coming." Nugen of the Helan tribe also sat cross-legged on the ground and said, "The Tufa tribe in Hexi has been very close to those people in recent years. They try to win over those who can be won over and kill those who can't be won over. They are not very obedient anymore. Don't worry about it. It's good enough that we can live in peace for the sake of our past alliance."

The Hexi Xianbei and the Tuoba Xianbei are actually relatives.

In the past, after Tuoba Liwei (grandfather of Tuoba Yiyi and Tuoba Yilu) inherited the position of tribal leader, his elder brother Tuoba Pigu was dissatisfied, so he led his people to migrate westward, calling themselves the "Tufa Tribe" (a transliteration of "Tuoba"), which was the most powerful branch of the Hexi Xianbei.

The Tuoba tribe was once very powerful. Tuoba Shujineng (grandson of Tuoba Pigu) repeatedly defeated the Jin army and killed four frontier officials. Later, he was defeated by Ma Long in the Western Expedition. After so many years of slowing down, he gradually became stronger and even wanted to compete with Tuoba for the influence of the Xianbei tribes in Hexi.

The "Desert Cavalry" that Tuoba Yulu wanted to mobilize was a general term, mainly referring to the Xianbei tribal troops in the present-day Alxa and Hexi Corridor areas outside the actual territory controlled by the Tuoba clan.

Twenty years ago, they were conquered by Tuoba Yiyi, and after an oath of allegiance, they joined the tribal alliance and submitted to Tuoba.

I didn't expect that after just twenty years, he would become so disobedient.

Especially ten years ago, when Yilu obtained Yanmen County, immigrants from all over the place settled there, including many Hexi tribes, which were apparently quite obedient at that time.

"Even if they don't come, I can still--" Tuoba Yulu was interrupted halfway through his words.

A Wuhuan nobleman stood up and shouted, "If they don't come, we won't fight anymore. Go home and farm."

A Jie leader looked left and right with flickering eyes.

"Qi Gui, what are you talking about?" Liu Lugu stood up suddenly and said angrily, "In the past, when Yiyi and Yilu were in power, they were obsessed with the title of Jin. They had powerful cavalry but did not go south to capture cities and territories, which led to the loss of good opportunities. Now the Jin Dynasty exists in name only, treacherous ministers are in power, and people are not loyal to it. What's wrong with the king leading his people south?"

Qi Gui had already stood up and was about to leave the tent. After hearing what Liu Lugu said, he sneered, "I had no objection to going south back then. But times are different now. The opportunity is gone, and I can't argue with a fool like you."

Qi Gui is a Wuhuan who has been deeply influenced by Sinicization. He is one of the core members of the New Party. His tribe farms and grazes near Dongmugen Mountain.

In the past, Yi Yi and Yi Lu repeatedly helped the Jin Dynasty, defeated Liu Yuan, Liu Cong, and Liu Can, a trio of grandfather and grandson, and also helped Liu Kun recapture Jinyang once.

Every time they marched south and conquered large tracts of land, they would eventually withdraw their troops. The reasons behind this were very complicated. Liu Lugu's obsession with the title bestowed by the Jin Dynasty was one reason that cannot be ignored.

To put it bluntly, the Jin Dynasty still had some power, and the older generation's thinking had not yet changed. They did not expect that the Jin Dynasty had already become weak inside - not only the Tuoba Xianbei, but also the Murong Xianbei. When Youzhou was hit by a flood, the Murong clan provided grain relief, and Emperor Hui of Jin rewarded them with brocade robes and the like. Murong Wei was overjoyed, and he still wants to be canonized by the Jin Dynasty.

But the new generation doesn’t buy it, Tuoba Yulu is a typical example.

Qi Gui was not wrong in thinking that the Tuoba Yilu era was a good time.

At that time, the central army in Luoyang was almost wiped out, and the Central Plains was in chaos. The Xiongnu took advantage of the situation and rose up, conquering a large area of ​​Jin territory. And it was this group of Xiongnu, from the record, that was very inferior to the Xianbei. When they recaptured Jinyang, they chased and killed them for hundreds of miles, inflicting heavy damage on the Xiongnu. What would it matter if they occupied Jinyang at that time?

But Tuoba Yilu actually left. Before leaving, he only ordered Wei Cao to engrave a stone to commemorate his achievements in Dagan City (now southwest of Wenshui County). He also left some Xianbei troops to help his sworn brother Liu Kun, and told them to obey Liu Kun's command. Isn't this ridiculous?
There is too much gangster spirit! This is not how national affairs are handled. At this point, Qi Gui does not think it is a good time to go south, because Henan and Hebei have been unified and the situation is different.

"Why don't we go south now and wait until the thief Shao usurps the Jin Dynasty before going south?" Liu Lugu stared at Qi Gui and asked.

Tuoba Yulu sat there with a grim look on his face, tacitly allowing his son-in-law to attack Qi Gui and others.

Qi Gui had already walked to the door. Upon hearing this, he turned his head and glanced at Liu Lugu, sneering, "In my opinion, you should recognize the situation as soon as possible. Instead of thinking about the south, you should look at the north. The tribes in Hexi are already not very obedient. Are the tribes in Mobei obedient? I don't think they are very obedient either. Your Majesty has been inspecting various places, but he only went as far as Yinshan in the west and Dongmugen Mountain in the east. It would be better to go further. You can go to Mobei to take a look, and you can also shock Hexi again. After all, twenty years have passed. That's all I have to say!"

After saying that, he walked out of the tent in a carefree manner.

After Qi Gui left, several other people stood up and left together, without giving Tuoba Yulu any face at all.

Before leaving, someone looked at Wei Xiong and Ji Dan.

The two of them were like puppets, with no expression on their faces.

Liu Lugu secretly glanced at Tuoba Yulu's face and found that it was as black as the bottom of a pot. He was suddenly startled.

"Your Majesty." Wang Yue, who was sitting opposite Liu Lugu, bowed and said, "It is raining continuously today, which is not conducive to the cavalry's march. The leaders of the tribes are not very united and are becoming timid. There are still enemy cavalry roaming around the important area of ​​Beidu, and they have not been wiped out yet. In this case, it is better to withdraw the troops, redeem Huihe Na, and win the hearts of old friends."

"You think so too?" Tuoba Yulu's voice was not loud, but it was very cold and full of disappointment.

Wang Yue was born into the Wang family of Guangning, and later moved to Dai County. He currently lives in Shengle.

His cousin, Madam Wang, was Tuoba Yulu's wife, so Wang Yue was considered one of Yulu's confidants. Yulu was very disappointed by what he said.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Wang Yue continued, "This expedition has already dampened morale, and the people are divided. It may be disadvantageous to continue fighting. It is better to withdraw the troops for the time being, reorganize the tribes, and then send envoys to Chang'an to make peace with the Xiongnu. In the future, when the Xiongnu troops come out of Tongguan and Puban, Your Majesty can send troops from Caochengchuan, Pingcheng, and Daijun. If we attack them from several directions at the same time, there is still a chance."

Dai County is one of Tuoba Yulu's strongholds, where he has been in charge for many years.

The tribes west of Ruyuan (Guyuan, northeast of Zhangjiakou) also had close relations with him.

Wang Yue's intention was to reorganize the situation, take the old territories of the Eastern Lords and the Central Lords, and suppress the tribes in the old territories of the Western Lords. Then, even if they were defeated this time, they could keep their position. In the era when the Tuoba Xianbei were divided into three tribes, the Eastern Lords occupied the grasslands west of Ruyuan, the Central Lords occupied the grasslands north of Dai County and further north, and the rest, all the way to the grasslands outside the Great Wall west of Yinshan Mountain, were under the command of the Western Lords.

Tuoba Yilu was once the lord of the west, and this region was the strongest. Only by uniting the east and the central regions could we compete with him.

Tuoba Yulu was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then asked, "Is Shao Xun willing to stop fighting?"

After saying this, he looked at Wei Xiong and Ji Dan.

"Your Majesty." Wei Xiong bowed and said, "Last year, Hebei was hit by a flood. More than ten counties were affected and the losses were extremely heavy. This year, it looks like it will rain continuously again. Although it may not be a flood, it is inevitable that there will be a flood. Hebei has suffered disasters for two consecutive years, and there were many years of war before that. It may be difficult to continue. If the rain continues to fall, Hebei will surely be in chaos and refugees will be everywhere. The people just want to survive. If Shao Xun does not save them, no matter how great his kindness is, it will be useless. At that time, hungry people may break through the cities and kill the county governors and officials. If Hebei is in chaos, Yuwen, Murong and other tribes may not sit idly by. Shao Xun is also in a difficult situation. In fact, he has no intention of taking the initiative to go north."

The implication is that if you hadn't led your troops south this year, this war would never have happened.

Tuoba Yulu believed what Wei Xiong said, because the Wei family was a big family in Dai County, well-informed, and knew the affairs of Jizhou and Youzhou in detail, so they were highly credible.

"Call envoy Shao Xun." Tuoba Yulu said with a serious face.

Soon a guard came forward to deliver the message.

A moment later, military officer Pei Zhan was led into the tent.

On the road, he saw several people running out of a big tent. Judging from their clothes and demeanor, they were obviously high-ranking Xianbei nobles. He immediately understood what was going on.

After entering the tent, Pei Zhan looked at Tuoba Yulu who was sitting cross-legged, bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Dai."

The scene fell into silence.

Tuoba Yulu suddenly smiled and said, "Where is my useless cousin?"

"Detained in Jinyang." Pei Zhan said.

"Let him come back and we will stop fighting." Tuoba Yulu said, "I am a simple man from Mobei, and I keep my word."

Pei Zhan smiled and said, "He Na is Madam Qi's beloved son. He is a rare treasure, how can we let him go easily?"

Tuoba Yulu was displeased and said, "Shao Xun is too stingy. Does he still need gold and silver?"

Liu Lugu scolded: "My country has no gold or silver, but we have hundreds of thousands of Desert Cavalry, Yinshan Cavalry, and Henan armored soldiers. Is it possible to ask for the Huihe?"

Pei Zhan shook his head and laughed.

The three Tuoba tribes stretched for more than a thousand miles from east to west, and controlled the entire area south of the desert and both inside and outside the Great Wall. They had a population of over a million.

Generally speaking, adult males over the age of 14 account for more than 30% of the total population. He is not wrong to say that there are "hundreds of thousands of soldiers", but these are only the able-bodied men. Can you really send all of them? Can you fight if you send all of them?
"When Duke Dai went south, he captured more than 10,000 people from Xinxing and Taiyuan. If you can release them, you can exchange them for Hena." Pei Zhan put forward the conditions.

Exchanging one person for ten thousand people made Tuoba Yulu and others look very unhappy.

Wei Xiong and Ji Dan looked at each other and sighed secretly.

Even if he was really brought back, although Hena was still alive, he was actually dead - socially dead.

The Xianbei did not need cowards, and carrying shame would make them despised. Tuoba He was finished.

"If it succeeds, it succeeds. If it fails, it doesn't. You can decide with just one word." When Pei Zhan said this, there was a loud thunder outside the tent and heavy rain.

Tuoba Yulu's face moved slightly, as if he had thought of something, and he opened his lips and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Yes."

Pei Zhan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

With thunder and lightning and heavy rain, it was difficult to defeat the infantry, not to mention the cavalry.

This year's battle is completely unprovoked, it would be better to end it sooner rather than later.

Liu Lugu looked at Tuoba Yulu and then at Pei Zhan, feeling somewhat dejected.

(End of this chapter)