Chapter 799 Countermeasures

Chapter 799 Countermeasures

Chapter 799 Countermeasures
A troop was assembled urgently and immediately left Pingcheng, heading north in search.

On the grassland north of Pingcheng, a group of exhausted people were resting.

"When Lord Hedouling heard about the king's misfortune, he became furious and led several thousand cavalry from Shuofang to the east to threaten the Qi family." Former assistant prime minister Duan Fan tidied his appearance, came in front of Lord Wang and reported in a low voice.

The Hedouling clan was one of the tribes in the Tuoba alliance. They once lived near Dai County and had close relations with the Wuhuan Wang clan. Later, they were moved to the old land of Wuyuan west of Shengle to graze.

Last year, this tribe did not follow Tuoba Yulu to the south because Shi Le and Shi Hu, uncle and nephew of Shangjun, acted suspiciously and seemed to be interested in Shuofang. However, Shuofang and Wuyuan were close by, so Hedouling was ordered to stay behind.

The Hedouling clan claimed to be descendants of Dou Zhang, the Grand Herald of the Han Dynasty (this is questionable).

Zhang Zitong was the governor of Yanmen during the reign of Emperor Ling. Due to the incident involving Dou Wu, he fled to the Xiongnu and became a leader of the Muluhui tribe.

Tuoba Liwei once depended on the Moluhui tribe, and later annexed its people.

During the reign of Tuoba Yilu, he ordered the descendant of Moluhui (Han name Dou Qin, great-grandson of Dou Tong, with the courtesy name Yude) to lead back his former tribesmen, move from Dai County to Wuyuan, and gave them the surname Hedouling.

Hedoulingqin (Dou Qin) once followed the army south to rescue Jinyang and defeated Liu Yao. He made great military achievements and was named Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness by the Jin Dynasty (this is questionable).

The mother of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, Dou, was from the Hedouling tribe.

The Hedouling tribe was not Xianbei people but one of the tribes in the northern desert that migrated south (grazing on the Zhangbei Plateau). They originally lived in the area around Lake Baikal and were good at making carts. Their wheels were tall and had many spokes. The Xianbei called them "Gaoche" (because the local snow was very deep in winter, so high-wheeled carts had to be used). However, the name Gaoche did not spread to the Han area at that time.

In the Mobei grasslands, these people were also called "Chi-Le" - the Hedouling clan, the Hulu clan, etc. all originated from the Mobei Gaoche tribe.

The Hedouling tribe was not one of the seven closest tribes to the Tuoba clan due to bloodline issues, but they were still willing to support Tuoba Yulu's descendants, which greatly moved Wang.

She wiped her tears and said to the child in her arms: "Shi Yijian, if you are restored to the throne in the future, you must treat the Hedouling clan well."

Duan Fan was speechless after listening to this.

The Tuoba clan is best at being ungrateful and treating their benefactors well? Not true.

When Tuoba Liwei was weak, he attached himself to the predecessor of the Hedouling tribe, the Moluhui tribe, and even married the daughter of Dou Bin, the leader of the Hedouling clan. What did he do in the end? He killed his wife, tricked his two brothers-in-law to come, killed them all, and annexed their tribes.

"Princess, we still have to rush to Dai County as soon as possible." Duan Fan urged: "At the very least, we have to go to Dongmugen Mountain first."

The Dugu tribe was in Dongmugen at that time. Since Liu Lugu did not participate in the heaven sacrifice, the tribe would not be leaderless.

"Where is the Helan tribe?" Wang asked.

"We went to Yixin Mountain before winter." Duan Fan said, "We can't go there."

Wang's heart trembled.

The Dugu and Helan tribes were both die-hard fans of Tuoba Yulu.

The Yixin Mountain where the Helan tribe is currently located is located near present-day Ulanqab, the Dongmugen Mountain of the Dugu tribe is near Xinghe County, and the Wang family's old nest is in Daijun and Guangning (present-day Zhangjiakou), which is the base camp of the Wuhuan.

Of course, the Wuhuan forces were more complex and more widely distributed.

The Qi family is also a big Wuhuan clan!
Wang Jun's son-in-law Su Shuyan was also one of the great leaders of the Wuhuan, and Wang Jun's chief clerk Qi Hong was from the Wuhuan Qi clan.

Since being severely beaten by Cao Cao, this ethnic group has been divided into pieces and lost the opportunity to rise again. Currently, most of them are affiliated with various parties as vassal forces.

In general, Wang and his son Tuoba Shiyijian still have some capital, but the current priority is to return to Daijun and Guangning, and use them as a base to win over the various tribes, protect themselves first, and then wait for an opportunity.

However, how to get back is a problem.

Duan Fan meant that the Helan tribe could not go, as going there might not necessarily lead to a good outcome.

Tuoba Yihuai is almost an adult. If Helan Aitou does not support this nephew, will he support an outsider?
You know, Tuoba Shiyijian is the only legitimate son, while Tuoba Yihuai is the eldest illegitimate son. Although the grasslands don't pay as much attention to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate as the Central Plains, they still pay some attention to it. Once Helan Aitou has evil intentions, it is hard to say what he will do.

However, Liu Lugu was Tuoba Yulu's son-in-law, and Yulu had done him a great favor. Even if he was unwilling to stand up for Wang's mother and son, he would not harm them when they went to Dongmugen Mountain.

Although Wang was only seventeen years old, she quickly understood this truth, so she immediately said, "Then let's go to Dongmugen Mountain and seek refuge first, and then return to Dai County."

Duan Fan hesitated for a moment and said, "Just follow what the princess says."

Finally, he asked, "I wonder if the princess has any plans after returning to Dai County?"

"Let me hear my brother's opinion first." Wang said after a moment's silence.

Wang's brother is called Wang Feng. He is currently farming and grazing in Dai County. He has a large number of followers. If he needs help from someone, his mother's family would be the most suitable ones.

"It's not enough to rely on the Wuhuan Wang family alone." Duan Fan shook his head and said, "After the Hedouling family initiated the righteous cause, the Qi family might be frightened and dare not pursue too far. But this can only protect itself, not restore its position."

"We must fight for the Dugu tribe. Even if they don't surrender, we must maintain a good relationship with them."

"The king's third daughter married into the Yuwen tribe, and Qiu Buqin is still alive, so maybe we can contact him. But he is cunning and extremely greedy, so it may not be a good idea to contact him, so we should be cautious."

"In fact, we can also contact the Shao family of Jin. Although we just fought a war, it is a different time now, so it would be good to take advantage of it."

Wang nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

After the Jitian Change, the New Party has gained the upper hand in Shengle, the political center, and the Old Party has fallen into a disadvantage. Many neutral tribes are still watching. If the New Party continues to expand its advantage, then their power will become stronger and stronger, and the Old Party will be in danger.

But then again, from a time perspective, the New Party will inevitably win in the end.

Because the differences between the new and old factions will gradually narrow, many of the current new party tribes were once old parties, and everyone will become the new party sooner or later.

Politically speaking, the Wang family of Wuhuan actually leans towards the New Party, but they have a good relationship with the representative of the Old Party, Tuoba Yulu, and Wang married Yulu, so the current situation has come about.

In the end, the so-called dispute between the new and the old is likely to evolve into a dispute between traditional Xianbei culture and sinicization, which covers a wider range and is not simply a dispute between nomadism and farming.

Wang couldn't think of such a complicated and profound problem. She just wanted to save her life and fight for power for her son Shi Yijian - although Shi Yijian was young, Wang could take power on his behalf.

"If the princess finds the strategies I have suggested acceptable, you can send an envoy now. If there are any changes somewhere, there will always be a place to go," Duan Fan suggested.

"Okay." Wang nodded in response.

After the rest, the convoy continued on its way, and the carefully selected messengers quietly left and rushed to various places. ******
Shao Xun received the news of the Xianbei civil strife after the Silkworm Ceremony in March and was overjoyed.

If he doesn't intervene in this matter, wouldn't he be called "Shao Thief" in vain?
In a small courtyard in the mountains of Xiangling County east of Pingyang, he summoned the Left Army Commander Wang Yan, the Left Chief Clerk Pei Shao, the Right Sima Yang Chen, the West Pavilion Chief Academician Yu Mie, the Liang State Minister Yang Man, the Central Commander Mi Huang, the Central Guard General Chen Yougen, the Attendant Liang Zong, the Protector of the Barbarians Su Shuyan, the Minister of Works Liu Han, and Pan Tao, who had recently been appointed as the Grand Tutor, to discuss the matter.

Princess Yu Wenjun personally directed the palace servants to prepare tea and snacks for everyone, like a happy hostess - and in fact she was.

After her husband came back, her backbone returned and she resumed her little woman's attitude.

"Go to the cubicle and listen. Don't think about being lazy." Shao Xun hugged her and said.

"When you were not around, I--" Yu Wenjun said softly.

"You did a great job when I was away." Shao Xun said in an encouraging tone.

"Did I help you?" Yu Wenjun asked, looking up.

"You helped me, you are awesome." Shao Xun kissed her and said with a smile.

Yu Wenjun narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Go ahead, sit down and listen carefully, don't fall asleep." Shao Xun let go of his wife and said.

Yu Wenjun nodded and left.

Shao Xun felt that his young wife was becoming more and more charming, with the charm of a mature woman revealed.

After coughing lightly, he came to the main hall of the courtyard and sat at the top.

Everyone saluted.

"Let's get straight to the point." Shao Xun waved his hand and asked, "Who goes first?"

Wang Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, we cannot afford to use force now."

"Got it." Shao Xun said expressionlessly.

Pan Tao chuckled and said, "Why does your Majesty need to resort to military force?"

"Oh?" Shao Xun looked over with interest and said with a smile, "I knew Yang Zhong had a strategy. Tell me quickly."

Pan Tao stroked his beard and said, "After returning from Shengle, Yu Jijiu gave a detailed account of the affairs of Dai State. When I heard what he said, I immediately felt that there was an opportunity to exploit."

"Where is the gap?" Shao Xun cooperated.

"It's about the struggle between the old and the new." Pan Tao said, "Qi is a man who is extremely power-hungry. He has three sons. The eldest son Pugen is dead, and the third son Hena was captured by the king's army. Only the second son He Li is worthy of being made the leader. However, according to Yu Jijiu, He Li is cowardly by nature and has always been despised by others."

"What kind of place is Xianbei? It's a den of tigers and wolves! How can a cowardly person lead all the tribes? How can he be a leader? I think the tribes will definitely become disunited. Even if they don't attack and kill He Li, they will not listen to orders and do as they please."

"Furthermore, although the old party has suffered a heavy blow, with more than 50 people including Yu Lu killed, the strength of the tribes is still there. Don't they want to restore order and support Yu Lu's son as king?"

At this point, Pan Tao stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "I would like to contact Tuoba Yihuai and appoint him as the Duke of Dai."

Tuoba's official title had always been Duke of Dai County, and conferring him the title of Duke of Dai was considered a promotion.

As for the King of Dai, he proclaimed himself and the title does not count.

"This is a good strategy." Shao Xun smiled and said, "If I do nothing, the others may restrain each other and not dare to take action for a while, and the situation will drag on, which will allow He Li to barely hold his position. But there is one thing, Yi Huai is just a young man, will he dare to take action?"

Pan Tao pondered in silence.

This is indeed the biggest uncertainty in this plan.

I heard that Tuoba Yihuai was only eleven or twelve years old, while on the grassland, one was considered an adult at least thirteen or fourteen years old.

Besides, he had no idea what kind of temper Tuoba Yihuai had. Did he have the courage to do so?
In addition, Helan Aitou is also very important.

Is he willing to risk the entire tribe to help his nephew ascend to power? It's hard to say.

"Your Majesty," said the Right Sima Yang Chen, "You may send an envoy to the north to find the location of the Helan tribe first and find out what they want. If they are willing to unite the tribes and raise an army, then we can appoint Yi Huai as the Duke of Dai. If they are not willing, you can find someone else."

Shao Xun turned and looked at Su Shuyan.

Su Shuyan saw that he could not escape, so he said, "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to send out the royal army at this time. Let's not talk about the food and grass. If the royal army moves, the Suotou will be frightened and will huddle together for warmth and fight against the enemy with all their strength."

Shao Xun nodded secretly.

Isn't this the same old story of what Cao Cao did to Yuan Shao's sons?

The strong external pressure has instead prompted internal forces to put aside their differences and unite against external threats.

With less external pressure, things can be done internally.

"Shi Yijian's uncle Wang Feng first lived in Guangning and later moved to Dai County." Su Shuyan continued, "I know him a little bit. He has ambitions but not much courage. If the Qi family is aggressive, he may contact other tribes or even the Yuwen Xianbei to fight together to protect himself. If the Qi family lets them go, they may not be willing to stand up for Shi Yijian."

Shao Xun understood: you have to deceive people.

He considered carefully the situation from the perspective of all parties involved.

If he had not intervened, the situation of Tuoba Xianbei would probably be in a strange state of balance, which might be broken or not.

If he intervened, it would add a variable, which might make the Qi family feel pressured and make them make stupid moves. At the same time, it would encourage Helan Aitou, Wang Feng and others, eventually leading to internal strife or even division.

In fact, the method used by the later Sui Dynasty to deal with the Turks was very classic. It was to split the enemy and then send troops to attack, which could produce miraculous results.

The Northern Dynasties did understand the Hu people, as they had inherited this from their ancestors.

"We have to persuade Helan Aitou and Wang Feng." Shao Xun slapped his thigh and made a plan: "Both places have to send envoys, you guys discuss it and find a suitable candidate with eloquence."

(End of this chapter)