Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3559: New Uses of Erha

Youzhou.

Cui Lin, who was sitting in the outdoor camp, faintly heard shouting in the distance.

"Are we going to the battle?"

He thought to himself, then got up and left the tent.

After learning about his purpose, Zhao Yun did not go out of his way to humiliate him, or do anything to lower the dignity of the nobles. He still gave him a small tent, but Cui Lin had to clean and tidy up the tent himself.

How could Cui Lin have ever done such a thing?

How could a guy who felt that six hundred and fifty coins were not enough for a meal learn how to pack up his tent and take care of his life in an instant?

But around Cui Lin, there were other wounded soldiers who were sharpening knives, sewing armor, or carving wood to make arrows. Even though their wounds had not healed, they were all participating in the labor. This made Cui Lin, a man with healthy hands and feet and no injuries or pain, feel very embarrassed.

Fortunately, life is something that people can never teach others, but people can learn it once things teach them.

Now that he could sleep well and make a living, Cui Lin found that he suddenly knew how to do a lot of things, things he had never done before and had never thought about doing.

Cui Lin walked in the direction of the sound, and the wounded soldiers who were recuperating around his tent had no intention of stopping him. He walked in the direction of the sound, and walked more than a thousand steps before he reached the edge of the earth plateau and saw Zhao Yun's army formation at the bottom of the slope.

He hated Zhao Yun a little bit.

But the emotion of hatred is worthless in war.

Which war would not trigger tens of thousands of hatred points? Adding Cui Lin would not be too much, and without Cui Lin it would not be too little. And the key is that Cui Lin saw Zhao Yun's strength...

This is the division of Zhao Yun’s troops, so what about the Cavalry?

Or would the Cavalry feel at ease with Zhao Yun having so many soldiers and horses?

These thoughts kept lingering in Cui Lin's mind, and there was no final answer. This was also the reason why Cui Lin stayed in Youzhou after contacting Zhao Yun. He thought that he only needed to communicate and contact Zhao Yun, and what awaited him was a reward and a share of benefits. But it turned out not to be the case. His choice resulted in him having to live in this shitty tent, working every day for food, and hurting himself if he was not careful...

Cui Lin's hands were already covered with many small wounds, which were not fatal, but still painful.

Cui Lin was obviously not used to this kind of life.

Therefore, Cui Lin, who claims to be of noble birth, would not have any identification with Zhao Yun. His current commitment to him is just a helpless choice forced by the situation.

"Kill Cao Cao and welcome the true Khan of the grassland..."

Cui Lin was stunned.

When we got here, we could already hear the barbarians in front shouting something.

Cui Lin was not too surprised by the words "Kill Cao Cao". After all, there were many people who said such things, both openly and secretly, so a few more Hu people would not make a difference.

But what does it mean to be the "real Khan of the grassland"?

Cui Lin looked at the Hu people on the hillside in front of him, and suddenly felt that the world had become strange.

Are those Hu people still the Hu people he knows?

He saw those barbarians almost fanatically shouting "The real Khan of the grasslands", and his heart couldn't help but pounding. Could it be...

Cui Lin raised his head and looked at where Zhao Yun was.

If Zhao Yun had any thoughts, it would be too...

Very good!

Who wants to see the cavalry be united as one?

"Is this... a desire to become independent?" Cui Lin muttered.

But as Cui Lin continued to walk forward for a short distance, when he reached the edge of the slope, he suddenly stopped and squinted his eyes, because he saw a three-color battle flag in the middle of those Hu people, which was very dazzling...

Cui Lin saw those Hu people gathered around the tricolor battle flag, raising their arms and shouting. It didn't look like they were rebelling, but rather like they were performing some kind of sacrifice?

Sacrifice?!

Cui Lin couldn't help but shudder.

He raised his head and stared at the tricolor battle flag.

For some reason, Cui Lin seemed to see that on the battle flag, there was not only color, but also blood and heads hanging on it. There were heads of Cao Jun generals who died in the battle, and there seemed to be Cui Lin himself...

The wind blew, and the tricolor flag fluttered in the air.

It seemed as if a head turned around and swayed towards him. Cui Lin stared blankly and found that the head was actually the head of his clan leader, Cui Yan!

"Ahhhhh!" 』

Cui Lin cried out and slumped to the ground.

Looking carefully again, there was naturally nothing on the flag, but he still felt fear.

The Hu soldiers not far away were still shouting, "Warriors of the grassland! Stop listening to the lies of Changshengtian! Returning to the command of the true Khan of the grassland is our most glorious future!"

"The real Khan of the grassland, the true God of the Five Directions!"

"Great Cavalry General!"

"The land where the sun always shines is our future home!"

Cui Lin stared at the Hu people who were still wearing fur robes, but felt confused.

He couldn't recognize them.

The people are still the same people, but they seem to be no longer the same people.

In Cui Lin's eyes, these Hu soldiers suddenly became so blurry and unreal.

It was like a nightmare.

……

... Zhao Yun was obviously aware of the changes that had taken place among these Hu people.

Zhao Yun was not sure whether this change was good or bad, so he generally turned a blind eye to the news reported by the guards about the Hu people's private gatherings for "worship", and "ignored them..."

The guard accepted the order.

These guards are loyal to Zhao Yun, so as long as Zhao Yun continues to show loyalty to General Fei Qian, these guards will also be loyal to the General.

This recursive chain of loyalty seems fragile, but it is also the case in most feudal dynasties.

However, after hearing about the Hu people gathering privately and worshipping the three-color flag of the cavalry many times, Zhao Yun also realized the characteristics of these Hu people...

If Zhao Yun knew what a Erha was, he would probably use this animal to match up with these Hu people. It looks like a wolf, but it is not a real wolf. It looks like a dog, but it often makes trouble and destroys the house, abandoning its owner and running away. It really eats meat when there is meat, and really cries when it is beaten, but it can't remember it...

"Is it too idle?"

Zhao Yun couldn't help but mutter.

During this period of spring plowing in Youzhou, the Han soldiers understood the importance of spring plowing to farmers, so even if Zhao Yun did not give special orders, these soldiers would still give the people of Youzhou some help within their ability, but it was different for the Hu people.

Although the Hu people also have the concept of "spring", they have no idea of ​​"farming". They are more likely to chase water and grass with their cattle and sheep. So when Zhao Yun did not give clear orders on what to do for the Hu soldiers, these Hu soldiers naturally became idle.

Before becoming the Protector General of the Northern Territory, Zhao Yun thought that these Hu people were just Hu people, and he had some stereotyped impressions of them. However, as he spent more time in the Northern Territory desert, he began to understand these Hu people a little better than before. At least he no longer simply thought that these Hu people were just two words, "barbarians."

The ancient Central Plains dynasties' cognition and handling of the surrounding ethnic groups was actually quite complex, but it also had cognitive limitations, and this limitation was precisely the foundation laid by the Confucian culture that began in the Han Dynasty.

Although some norms and divisions were made for the "people of the five directions" in "The Book of Rites: The Royal System", this was not simply arrogance, but the theoretical cornerstone of the legitimacy of a dynasty's rule. It is indeed a merit that Confucianism continued and carried forward the Book of Rites, and it also provided a standard for political governance for the subsequent unification of the Chinese dynasty. However, Confucianism was indeed backward and even seriously misleading in dealing with "barbarians". For example, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, a great Confucian proposed the governance logic of "China stays inside to control the barbarians, and the barbarians stay outside to serve China". Although it was indeed very helpful and inspiring for the political environment at the time, it more or less affected the subsequent failure of going to Southeast Asia...

Before Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty, the court's knowledge of the land outside the region was limited to the legends in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Even after the establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, the central government still relied on reports from military garrisons to grasp border intelligence, forming an information funnel effect. Some sons of the gentry and intellectuals who controlled the mouthpieces were embarrassed to say that they did not understand anything, so they intentionally or unintentionally fabricated some foreign cognition at certain times, and were embarrassed to correct it after it spread, resulting in further mistakes.

In fact, the Han Dynasty was already at the forefront of the world in terms of foreign governance. By setting up Jiuquan and Dunhuang counties, establishing a beacon system, and building a military and commercial complex corridor. Zhang Qian's delegation carried a "scepter" to symbolize the extension of the central imperial power of China. At the same time, the geographical survey of the Western Regions was "to tell the emperor all the terrain and everything", which pioneered a systematic frontier survey.

In the Tang Dynasty, six prefectures and seven states were set up in the former Turkic territory to implement the policy of "protecting the tribes and following their local customs". The Honglu Temple was established in Chang'an to systematically collect information on the Turks and compile the "Illustrated Records of the Western Regions".

As for the Song Dynasty, although it was timid, it also opened up trade to the East and South Seas, otherwise how could it be called "Traveling Song"?

The Ming Dynasty at least had voyages to the West, but the Qing Dynasty only knew how to keep an eye on Mongolia and implement the "Mongolian Laws". They were unable to keep the Eight Banners at their peak, and they dragged Mongolia to the same level of corruption as the Eight Banners. The country was established for nearly three hundred years, and it was a system that was centered on growing up on horseback and raising horses and enclosing land with serfs as the core. As a result, the war horses were still short and thin as they were three hundred years ago, and the bows and arrows were still bent forward and stretched out their necks as they were three hundred years ago...

Zhao Yun was different from those Confucian scholars who were rigid in their thinking. He did not say that he had to degrade the Hu people as "barbarians" in order to show his nobleness. Therefore, Zhao Yun was more practical in his considerations. He was going to write a memorial to the cavalry, incorporating his thoughts from his time in the desert of the northern region into the memorial.

Zhao Yun felt that even though the Hu people were fools, they still had emotions and flesh and blood. As long as they were properly guided and regulated, they could become a very useful supplement, rather than simply asking them to send white furs and white livestock as tribute on a regular basis. In the end, these foreign ethnic groups would think that white was a precious, festive and auspicious color, and then form the custom of wearing white for happy events...

In fact, this was just a rule made by the Chinese. Asking these foreigners to pay tribute with white objects was just another form of surrendering with a white flag...

Zhao Yun picked up the pen and started by talking about the regular border inspection system he had established in the northern desert. He said that this method could gradually compile a dynamic border atlas, and would also be conducive to integrating the Chinese market and advancing it in stages.

Zhao Yun suggested changing the single trade system into a hierarchical trade structure, starting from a simple border market for trading daily items, and then further developing into a regional central town settlement market for trading large goods. When the time is right, a special market belonging to China can be opened in the royal court of the Hu people to sell luxury goods and purchase what is needed for the strategic plan.

In such a market trading system, not only can the trade of strategic materials be linked to political loyalty, but it can also promote strategic channels similar to the Qinzhidao invisibly, set up institutionalized post stations, and directly transform them into military actions when necessary.

Of course, Zhao Yun also pointed out that force alone cannot completely solve the problem.

It’s like beating a Husky is of no use. It won’t remember and will still destroy your house next time.

Therefore, further education is necessary, and this education...

Zhao Yun held the pen, frowned and thought, obviously a little hesitant.

Because the education of the Southern Xiongnu was relatively successful, many people directly adopted the Southern Xiongnu's education model, and it did have certain effects, but Zhao Yun felt that it seemed to be somewhat insufficient.

But if I point out these shortcomings, will the Cavalry think I am looking for trouble?

After much deliberation, Zhao Yun decided to speak frankly and submit a petition.

Of course, this was not Zhao Yun's momentary impulse, but he felt it was his duty.

Since its founding, the Han Dynasty has been entangled with these Hu people and was once bullied by them. Although Emperor Wu of Han rose to power and began to beat the Huns, there were ups and downs during that period. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Xianbei rose again. Although the cavalry army is now roaming the northern desert and the Hu people are trembling with fear, the lessons of the past are not far away. Will there not be any new alliances among these Hu people in the desert?

It is the duty of an official to prepare for a rainy day.

In addition, as the Protector of the Northern Territory, if he dared not even speak of something directly related to the Hu people, then what was the meaning of this "Northern Territory"? And the most critical point is that the Hu people are weak at present, and there may be some new forces in the grasslands and deserts, but they have not yet formed a large-scale group. Implementing the strategy of governing the Hu people during this strategic window period will undoubtedly achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Your subordinate, Yun, has just pacified the northern region. We have soldiers at your service and the people are loyal to you. This is truly the time to demonstrate your virtue and educate the Hu people. However, I have observed that the Hu people in the northern region have no fixed place to live and no fixed place to stay. The things they have are just cattle and sheep, which will be destroyed in a moment by natural disasters. This is the root of the Hu people's looting. In the past, Emperor Gaozu entered the pass and made three laws, which made the people submit. Now Yun is bold enough to submit a petition to ask the Lord to make laws to pacify the Hu people and incorporate them into the Han nationality. First, the Hu people should be rewarded for their merits and accepted into the Han nationality, and they should be proud of being registered as Han people. Second, the Hu people are short of money, and many of them have the habit of exchanging goods for grain. However, goods cannot be stored for long. If they are slightly damaged, the goods are worthless, and the people are in urgent need, so how can they not cause chaos? Third, many of the Hu people have false gods and inferior spirits, and they worship them as a sign of faith. Now that the Han Dynasty is strong, we should replace them. If the Han Dynasty does not take them, it is inevitable that the false gods will covet them."

"I think that, first, we can issue bronze medals for meritorious service, engraved with their merits, and the holders of the medals can be given titles and salaries after the war. The Hu people do not understand Chinese characters and writing, so the military meritorious service officials may confuse the Hu people, so it is better to give them the real thing. Second, we can grant them land around the market to allow them to settle and graze. The Hu people find it difficult to understand reason and loyalty, but if they can maintain the safety of the market, they will benefit themselves, and they will definitely work hard until they die. Third, we can mint new coins and distribute them among the Hu people..."

Zhao Yun wrote down everything he thought and gained in the memorial with great enthusiasm.

He didn't know that his memorial had actually touched the edge of the grand strategy.

After all, the essence of this strategy of integrating the Hu people is to upgrade the traditional system of "tributary control" to a system of "coexistence and governance". And after the Three Kingdoms in history, the reforms of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty also proved that deep integration under the premise of maintaining cultural subjectivity is feasible to a certain extent...

At the time of the Han Dynasty, the so-called "Hua-Yi distinction" had not yet been fully formed, so there was still an opportunity to establish a flexible governance structure based on mutual interests and pull the so-called high-ranking Confucian experts down to earth. Of course, this transformation requires not only institutional innovation, but also a deep-seated change in worldview. Its difficulty is no less than the Qin and Han county system replacing the traditional feudal system, but in the historical experience of the Silk Road, we can see some buds of this possibility.

After Zhao Yun finished writing the memorial, he copied it again. Then he put the newly copied memorial into a bamboo tube, sealed it with sealing wax, and asked someone to send it to the cavalry.

Seeing the memorial sent away, Zhao Yun seemed to put some of his worries aside and began to focus on the current military situation. He thought for a while in the hall and felt that if the Hu soldiers who stayed in Youzhou continued to stay around Ji County, they would have nothing to do. If they were asked to help with spring plowing, these Hu people would not know how to do anything and would probably do more harm than good...

Therefore, Zhao Yun felt that the suggestion made by Wei Yan before could indeed be tried now. However, unlike Wei Yan's suggestion, Zhao Yun would not lead people there personally, but wanted his military school to lead these small number of Hu cavalry south to cooperate with Wei Yan in the battle.

"Come here!" Zhao Yun said in a deep voice, "beat the drum to gather the generals!"

Anyway, these Hu people are of no use in Youzhou. They have nowhere to expend their energy every day, and some trouble is inevitable. It is better to let these Hu cavalry go south, but they also need to be managed and controlled. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate if we really let them go, or if they start to bite back at their master if we let them go.

Zhao Yun has to select from these military academies before deciding who to send into battle.

Of course, when Zhao Yun was making these decisions, he did not expect that Emperor Liu Hui would issue him another imperial decree...