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Her cool gaze swept over the winding white path beneath her feet and the faint smoke rising from the felt tents on the horizon. Thoughts swirled in her mind. After a moment of silence, Shi Feixuan spoke slowly, her voice like a jade chime:

"Feixuan had been familiar with history books since childhood and had also heard her seniors tell stories of the frontier. But what she learned from books could not compare to what she had experienced firsthand. Along the way, she saw the Great Wall in ruins, the beacon towers in disrepair, and the fortified villages in ruins. The places where Han soldiers once fought and bled to defend were now the pastures for nomadic cavalry. She felt a sense of desolation and sorrow."

Shi Feixuan glanced at Yi Huawei, paused, and continued:

"As you just said, walls cannot block people's hearts. Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world has been in turmoil for hundreds of years. The Central Plains were in chaos, the social order was broken, border defenses were lax, and the barbarian dust repeatedly swept south. When the Jin Dynasty moved south, the gentry migrated south, and this land of Hebei and Bingzhou became a battlefield for a long time, a battleground for the tug-of-war between the Han and the barbarians and the change of dynasties. During the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians, one dynasty rose and fell, blood and fire intertwined, and people suffered greatly. Until... Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei, Tuoba Gui, rose up in this land south of Yinshan and north of Yunzhong."

Shi Feixuan's gaze turned to the depths of the grasslands: "The Tuoba Xianbei were originally a nomadic tribe from beyond the Great Wall. Taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains, they entered Pingcheng (present-day Datong) and unified the north. In the beginning, didn't they also make a living by plundering and massacring cities? However, their successive rulers, especially Emperor Xiaowen Yuan Hong, defied public opinion, moved the capital to Luoyang, promoted Sinicization, changed their surnames, adopted Han clothing, spoke Han language, established etiquette, implemented equal land distribution, respected Confucianism, and even competed with the Southern Dynasties for the legitimacy of Chinese civilization. Although there were some drawbacks, such as overcorrection and triggering the Six Garrisons Rebellion, their courage and achievements in integrating the Han and non-Han peoples and recreating the civilization of the Northern Dynasties truly impressed me."

As she spoke, Shi Feixuan sighed softly: "Although the Northern Wei eventually split into the Eastern and Western Wei, and later evolved into the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, the Sinicization foundation was deeply rooted in the northern lands. The Western Wei and Northern Zhou, relying on the Guanzhong Plain, established the Fubing system, integrating the Xianbei tribal military system with the Han Chinese agricultural household registration system, which ultimately became the source of a strong army. The Guanzhong military aristocratic group, with its blend of Han and non-Han elements and its combination of literary and military talents, became the cornerstone of the later Sui and Tang dynasties. Yang Jian replaced the Zhou and established the Sui, unifying the north and south. Its system, military system, and even the court structure were all deeply imprinted with the marks of the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou."

At this point, Shi Feixuan turned her gaze to Yi Huawei, her expression inquiring: "Sir, you just mentioned Emperor Yang of Sui's northern tour, a period of great prosperity followed by decline. I think that while the Sui Dynasty's rapid demise was directly related to Emperor Yang's extravagance and abuse of manpower, its root cause might also lie in the failure to properly handle the legacy of 'Han-Hu integration'. Internal conflicts within the Guanzhong Group, discord between Shandong aristocratic families and the new Guanzhong elites, and even inappropriate strategies against external forces such as the Turks... all sowed the seeds of disaster. During the Daye era, Emperor Yang attempted to maintain the empire through aggressive external expansion and internal high-pressure centralization, ultimately leading to internal and external difficulties and widespread warfare."

Shi Feixuan's words were clear and logical, indicating that she had given this period of history a deep understanding and that it was not just a superficial discussion.

A hint of approval flashed in Yi Huawei's eyes. To be able to transcend the simple distinction between Chinese and barbarians and see the deeper threads of institutional integration and group competition, Shi Feixuan's insight was indeed far beyond that of ordinary people in the martial arts world, and even surpassed that of many Confucian scholars who had spent their lives studying.

Yi Huawei nodded and said, "The Northern Wei Dynasty attempted to integrate the vitality of the grasslands with the civilization of the Central Plains by adopting a Sinicized approach. Emperor Xiaowen's decision was a testament to the courage of an emperor of all time. He saw that simple plundering could not last, and the loose nature of nomadic life was not conducive to governing a vast territory and a large population. Only by absorbing more advanced civilizations and systems could a stable empire be established."

Changing the subject, Yi Huawei stated bluntly:

"The Six Garrisons were a system of six core military garrisons established by the Northern Wei Dynasty in its early years to defend against the Rouran and protect Pingcheng, along the strategic locations north and south of the Yin Mountains. From west to east, they blocked the southward passage of steppe cavalry. The soldiers stationed there initially came mostly from the elite troops of the Tuoba Xianbei, sons of powerful clans and noble families in the Central Plains, and warriors from other non-Han ethnic groups who had submitted to the dynasty. In the era of the dynasty's rise and ambition, guarding the Six Garrisons was a shortcut to glory and promotion; they were the 'vital organs of the state,' and 'most prominent families emerged from among them.' They shared the glory and disgrace of the central government, and were the empire's sharpest sword and strongest shield."

"In the eighteenth year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign (494 AD), he decided to move the capital south, shifting it from Pingcheng on the frontier to Luoyang in the heart of the Central Plains. This was not merely a geographical relocation, but a complete overturning of the empire's political, cultural, and economic center. In the court, the use of non-Han languages ​​was banned, Han clothing became fashionable, Xianbei surnames were changed to Han surnames, and the order of family genealogies was re-established. Luoyang quickly became a prosperous capital of elegant attire and poetic exchanges, and a new order was established that revered Han culture and was based on family hierarchy and etiquette."

With a slight upturn of his lips, Yi Huawei spoke with a hint of sarcasm:

"While the Xianbei nobles in Luoyang rapidly transformed into 'new Han people' who indulged in poetry and romance, striving to integrate into and dominate the cultural sphere of the Central Plains gentry, the soldiers of the Six Garrisons far away in the snowy Yin Mountains were forgotten. They still had to be on high alert at all times, facing the menacing Rouran cavalry on the grasslands, living a life of hardship, 'avoiding arrows in the morning and sleeping with bows and swords at night.' However, their status and position had undergone a dramatic fall."

"After the capital was moved, the core of the empire's power and the talent selection mechanism were completely transferred to Luoyang. The path that the military generals of the Six Garrisons could once be generals on campaign and prime ministers in the court was almost completely blocked. Important positions in the court were monopolized by the rapidly Sinicized Xianbei nobles of Luoyang and the high-ranking gentry of the Central Plains. The soldiers of the Six Garrisons, especially the Xianbei warriors among them, were regarded as 'crude and uncultured' and 'accustomed to barbarian customs' by the new nobles of Luoyang as 'cold people from the north' and 'old lowly men,' and excluded from the prestigious positions. The former 'heart and lungs of the country' were reduced to a marginalized group 'discarded like worn-out shoes.' This huge psychological gap from falling from the clouds turned into increasingly intense resentment."

"With the empire's center of gravity shifting south, the vast resources originally poured into the northern garrisons were reduced. Supplies of provisions became intermittent, and rewards and compensation grew increasingly meager. The military households remaining in the six garrisons, though nominally 'households,' were in reality hereditary, forbidden to migrate, and relegated to the ranks of exiled criminals, their status akin to that of commoners. They bore the heavy burden of garrison duty and combat, while struggling to survive amidst the corruption and exploitation of the bureaucratic system. Meanwhile, the powerful and wealthy in Luoyang were seizing fertile land in the Central Plains, keeping slaves, and indulging in extravagant luxury. On one side, the rich feasted and drank; on the other, the border towns suffered from hunger and cold. Citizens of the same country, their circumstances were worlds apart."

"Emperor Xiaowen's Sinicization efforts aimed to eliminate the boundaries between the Han and non-Han peoples, but in practice, they created even sharper divisions. Luoyang revered Confucianism and literature, and despised horsemanship and martial prowess; it promoted etiquette and manners, and looked down on the old customs of the Xianbei. Thus, the Six Garrisons, once the steel Great Wall protecting the empire, gradually became a huge furnace for hatred and rebellion. The soldiers and officers of the garrisons, who had been stripped of their honor, suffered greatly, and felt abandoned, as well as the impoverished Xianbei nobles who were also trapped on the frontier, had their anger surging like magma, just waiting for a crack to erupt and destroy the world."

In 523 AD, during the fourth year of the Zheng Guang era, the Rouran Khan Anagui, taking advantage of the Northern Wei's neglect of internal affairs and lax border defenses, launched a major invasion southward. Huaihuang Town was the first to be hit, and the soldiers and civilians had their food supplies looted. They pleaded with the town's general, Yu Jing, to open the granaries for relief, but Yu Jing coldly refused. The starving and freezing townspeople could no longer endure it and, in anger, killed Yu Jing and rose up in rebellion. Immediately afterward, Poluhan Baling, a descendant of the Xiongnu from Woye Town (north of present-day Wuyuan, Inner Mongolia), due to escalating conflicts with the town's general, killed the general, gathered a crowd to rebel, and changed the era name to "True King," thus beginning the tragic prelude to the Six Towns Uprising. The rebellion spread like wildfire, quickly engulfing the entire Six Towns region. Countless long-resentful soldiers, refugees, and various non-Han peoples responded, attacking towns and killing officials, their momentum unstoppable.

"The Northern Wei court hastily mobilized troops to suppress the rebellion, but suffered repeated defeats. In desperation, it invited the Rouran army into its territory to quell the uprising. While the Rouran cavalry did help defeat the main forces of the rebel army, such as Po Liu Han Baling, their ravages and plundering of the Six Garrisons brought even greater disaster to the already impoverished people. Meanwhile, local warlords such as Erzhu Rong quietly grew in power during the suppression of the rebellion, absorbing a large number of scattered and brave soldiers and civilians from the Six Garrisons, laying the groundwork for their future seizure of supreme power in the empire."

"Although the uprising was temporarily quelled, the Northern Wei court made a fatal mistake in its attempt to settle the surrendered households of the Six Garrisons. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians from the Six Garrisons were forcibly relocated to Hebei (present-day central and southern Hebei) for food. This group of resentful, fierce, and incompatible armed refugees poured into Hebei, which was then plagued by years of drought and floods and oppression by the government, immediately triggering wider unrest. Du Luozhou, Xianyu Xiuli, Ge Rong, and others successively rose up, gaining considerable power, ultimately leading to the Hebei Uprising, which swept across Hebei and Shandong and amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. The central authority of the Northern Wei was completely destroyed, and various warlords fought each other incessantly, ultimately causing this once powerful dynasty that unified the north to exist in name only, splitting into the Eastern Wei and Western Wei, with real power falling into the hands of Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai respectively."

At this point in his story, Yi Huawei sighed deeply: "'The Rebellion of the Six Garrisons' was not simply a mutiny of border soldiers or a rebellion of starving people, but a super social explosion triggered by systemic injustice, class solidification, cultural discrimination, and extreme imbalance in resource allocation, which involved complex contradictions of ethnicity, class, and region."

Turning to Shi Feixuan, Yi Huawei said calmly, "The root of the problem lies in Emperor Xiaowen's ambitious Sinicization reforms. Essentially, it was a backlash from the Xianbei military group who remained in the north, failing to enjoy the benefits of Sinicization or even suffering losses, against the Sinicized aristocratic group in Luoyang. This was an inevitable conflict arising from the redistribution of interests during the 'integration' process." "The Western Wei and Northern Zhou took a more pragmatic, but also more difficult, path. Yuwen Tai, Su Chuo, and others did not radically pursue wholesale Sinicization like Emperor Xiaowen. Instead, they innovated systems based on the existing mixed Han and non-Han population. The Fubing system, combining soldiers and farmers, maintained the core of Xianbei tribal military organization while integrating it with the equal-field system, providing a stable economic foundation. The establishment of the Eight Pillars and Twelve Generals system formed a tightly knit military aristocratic group—the Guanlong Group—with the Wuchuan garrison as its backbone, integrating powerful Guanlong clans and some Han gentry."

"This group possessed both the martial prowess and fierceness of the Hu people, and gradually absorbed the governing strategies of the Han people. It was a fusion of Hu and Han, combining both literary and military talents. Internally, it was united through marriage and shared interests, while externally it demonstrated strong cohesion and combat power. This was the true core force that enabled the Northern Zhou to grow from weak to strong, eventually annexing the Northern Qi and laying the foundation for the unification of the Sui and Tang dynasties."

Yi Huwei's narrative is like peeling back layers of an onion, getting straight to the heart of the matter, clearly revealing the power structure and institutional logic behind that complex history.

Shi Feixuan listened intently. Some of these analytical perspectives were ones she had considered, while others gave her a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"Yang Jian's usurpation of the Zhou throne seemed effortless, but in reality, it was because he was one of the core members of the Guanlong Group. His family (the Hongnong Yang clan, which, although claiming to be a high-ranking Han family, had in fact been deeply Xianbei-ized) was intertwined with other core families of the group, such as the Dugu clan (a Xianbei surname) and the Li clan (also a mixed clan). He only replaced the Yuwen family's throne, rather than breaking the entire ruling structure of the Guanlong Group. The strength of the early Sui Dynasty was built on the foundation of this highly united and efficient ruling group."

"Then why did the Sui Dynasty only last two generations?"

Yi Huawei looked at Shi Feixuan, as if testing her.

Shi Feixuan pondered and said, "Emperor Yang's eagerness for quick success, his abuse of manpower, his three campaigns against Goguryeo, the construction of the Grand Canal, and his excessive imperial tours are certainly direct causes. But the deeper reason, as you suggest, lies in his attempt to break free from the constraints of the Guanlong Group, his excessive centralization of power, and his large-scale recruitment of scholars from the Southern Dynasties and Shandong, which touched upon the fundamental interests of the Guanlong Group. In addition, his flawed foreign policy, his failure to properly handle relations with the Turks, and even his exacerbation of the conflict, led to the sudden collapse of the empire under internal and external pressures."

"good."

Yi Huawei nodded slightly:
"Yang Guang was an ambitious, imaginative, and even talented emperor, but he was too hasty. He saw that the conservatism of the Guanlong Group might hinder the long-term development of the empire, that the divide between the North and the South needed to be bridged, and that the threat of the Turks needed to be contained or utilized. But he tried to force all of this forward in the shortest possible time, according to his own will. While his introduction of the imperial examination system had the progressive significance of breaking the monopoly of the aristocratic families, it also threatened the interests of the Guanlong Group and the Shandong gentry. His construction of the Eastern Capital and the digging of the Grand Canal had economic and military considerations, but excessive conscription exhausted the people's strength. His northern tour to the Turks, western tour to Zhangye, and eastern expedition to Goguryeo were intended to establish imperial authority and manage the frontier, but they failed one after another, depleting the country's strength and shaking the foundation of the state."

"More importantly,"

Yi Huawei's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "He underestimated the backlash from the behemoth that was the Guanlong Group, and overestimated the limits of the empire's capacity to withstand turmoil without a fundamental breakthrough in productivity. When he exhausted the empire's resources to the breaking point, and when popular uprisings broke out, other families within the Guanlong Group saw an opportunity to change dynasties and redistribute interests. Thus, the seemingly powerful Sui Empire collapsed in just a few years. Its rise was swift, and its fall was sudden."

Shi Feixuan took a deep breath of the cold air and felt a chill run through her body.

"And now,"

Yi Huawei's gaze turned to the northern grasslands, towards the direction of the Turkic stronghold: "The Central Plains have split again. Li Yuan raised an army in Taiyuan, still relying on part of the Guanzhong Group's strength (the Li family originally belonged to the Guanzhong lineage), using the banner of respecting the Sui Dynasty to actually carry out a change of dynasty. Wang Shichong occupied Luoyang, relying on some forces in Shandong and the remnants of the Sui Dynasty. Dou Jiande was in Hebei, relying more on the grassroots heroes and the hearts of the people. And my Heavenly Alliance is in the south..."

After a pause, Yi Huawei didn't continue, but Shi Feixuan already understood.

The rise of the Heavenly Alliance differed drastically from that of the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang dynasties. It did not rely on any established regional military group, but rather emerged as a new force in a short period, leveraging advanced concepts, technologies (such as high-yield crops), martial arts, and the integration of resources from various factions including the Song Clan, the Yin Gui Sect, and the Pegasus Ranch. Its internal structure, power base, and future trajectory presented entirely new challenges.

"History is a mirror, but it never simply repeats itself."

Yi Huawei's voice pulled Shi Feixuan back to reality:

"The Sinicization of the Northern Wei, the Fubing system of the Northern Zhou, and the rapid demise of the Sui all tell us that the integration of the Hu and Han peoples is an unavoidable issue on this land. However, how to integrate them and who should take the lead, relying solely on military conquest or cultural assimilation, often backfires. The creation of systems, the balancing of interests, and the winning over of people's hearts are all indispensable."

Yi Huawei looked north, his eyes deep: "By learning from history, we can understand the rise and fall of dynasties. But this 'learning' is not about blindly copying the rules and regulations in old books, but about understanding the inherent logic of history, discerning the patterns of human nature and the interplay of interests, and then forging our own path amidst chaos and possibilities." (End of Chapter)