Ji Han Liu Zhang

The fifth year of Jian'an, the end of October.

King Qin Liu Zhang rode his horse towards Jinyang City, which was the seat of Taiyuan County during the Qin and Han dynasties.

Taiyuan County is located in the central area of ​​Bingzhou, extending from Fanzhisi in the north to Jiexiu in the south. It is centered on the Taiyuan Basin and Xinzhou Basin, and is surrounded by the Taihang, Luliang and other mountain ranges. It is connected to Hedong County in the south, Yanmen County and Dai County in the north, and leads to Jizhou in the east through the passes of Taihang Mountains. It is adjacent to the counties of the Shuofang Prefecture across the Luliang Mountains in the west.

It is the place that controls the mountains and rivers, sits on the shoulders of the world, and is the foundation of Hedong. It is truly a place that has been fought over since ancient times.

In front of the gate of Jinyang City, two generals, Zhang Ren and Wen Pin, who had arrived here earlier, were standing upright, waiting for Liu Zhang with respectful expressions.

"Your Majesty."

After seeing Liu Zhang, Zhang Ren and Wen Pin stepped forward together and bowed to Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang dismounted and held up Zhang Ren and Wen Pin as they were about to kneel down. "There are many things to do in the military and the country, and we are all in the army. There is no need to be so polite. Besides, there is a great deal of affection between you and me. If we impose such generous gifts on you, it would seem alienated."

Zhang Ren and Wen Pin did not force anything upon hearing this. They just bowed and saluted without kneeling.

After the ceremony, Zhang Ren called out to the back, and then a thin clerk came forward carrying a box.

Zhang Ren opened the lid of the box with his own hands, and inside the box was a human head with eyes wide open and a look of fear before death still lingering on his face.

"Huchuquan?" Liu Zhang guessed the owner of the head. Although it was just a guess, his tone was somewhat certain. It was because the head had no grown hair, but was loose.

Secondly, among the Xiongnu people, the Left Wise King Liu Bao had already surrendered his head, and the Right Wise King Qu Bei was in Shangdang. Only Huochuquan was left here, and only the head of Huochuquan, the Great Khan of the Southern Xiongnu, was worthy of being handed to Liu Zhang.

"That's right." Zhang Ren nodded and confirmed, "This head belongs to Huchuquan, the Great Khan of the Xiongnu."

When talking about the word "Great Chanyu", Zhang Ren, who was usually calm and composed, also added a bit of pride in his tone. The Han and the Huns had been fighting for hundreds of years, and few people had the achievement of killing the Chanyu, but he had achieved it.

"Hang it on the top of the city wall to show it to all directions."

Liu Zhang gave the result of how to deal with the head of Huhuquan, the Great Khan of the Xiongnu. He planned to hang Huhuquan's head on the city wall of Jinyang City to intimidate the Qiang, Hu and barbarians in all directions and show that the power of Han could not be violated.

After saying this, Liu Zhang stepped into Jinyang City.

At that time, Bingzhou Mu Gao Gan fled to Shangdang, the Great Chanyu Huchuquan surrendered, the great enemies in Taiyuan County fled, the powerful bandits hid their shadows, and the disaster that shook the county was eliminated. However, since many Xiongnu, Qiang and Hu peoples migrated to Taiyuan County, sporadic disturbances continued to occur.

But for Liu Zhang, this was nothing but an itch. He assigned his generals, including Zhang Ren, Zhang Yan, Wen Pin, Xi Su and others, to lead their own troops to clean up Taiyuan County. Within a few months, Taiyuan County must be stabilized.

This is also the reason why Liu Zhang led 30,000 troops to conquer Taiyuan this time. If the troops were too small, they would not be able to conquer the four directions. Only with tens of thousands of troops attacking from multiple directions could Taiyuan County be restored to a peaceful world.

By mid-November, the heads of the Xiongnu, Qiang and Hu tribes who had rebelled sporadically in Taiyuan County were piled up like a small mountain at the gate of Jinyang City, which was called Jingguan.

When Du Ji passed by the gate of Jinyang City, he naturally saw this Jingguan. When he first saw it, there was no compassion or joy on his face, but a trace of sadness between his brows.

"Mr. Du, why do you look so worried?" Xi Su asked. He didn't quite understand why Du Ji looked so worried after killing the Qiang and Hu people. This was not a normal expression.

Du Ji pointed at the pile of Qiang and Hu heads that looked like a small mountain and said, "General Xi, are all the heads of the Xiongnu, Qiang and Hu in Taiyuan County cut off and piled up here?"

"No." Xi Su shook his head. He didn't expect Du Ji to be so extreme and want to kill all the barbarians in Taiyuan County. "Your Majesty is kind. These are the heads of the rebellious Qiang and Hu. All the obedient Xiongnu will be spared from being killed."

"How many rebels and obedient people are there?" Du Ji asked.

"Hmm?" Xi Su frowned and thought for a while, then gave a rough number: "Our army is powerful and the Qiang and Hu people are afraid of us, so most of them are obedient. Only about 30% or 40% of them are ignorant of the ways of the world, and are barbaric and ignorant, and have rebelled in Taiyuan."

"Three or four out of ten." Du Ji repeated the data given by Xi Su. He sighed deeply and said, "Taiyuan County was established as a county during the Qin Dynasty. It has been our Han territory for hundreds of years. But today it is inhabited by Qiang and Hu people who migrated from the interior. Moreover, their number is huge and it is difficult to eradicate them. That is why I am worried."

Having said this, Du Ji looked north and said, "The situation in Taiyuan County is the same. The situation in Yanmen and Dai County is even worse than that in Taiyuan County."

Du Ji's eyes were filled with worry, and he was thinking: "Now the world is in turmoil, and the Qiang and Hu people are taking advantage of the situation to rise up and seek to grow stronger. There are people like Huochuquan and Liu Bao. Although they have been beheaded, the Qiang and Hu people in Taiyuan County are afraid of our military power and have temporarily settled down. However, the Qiang and Hu people who live here will eventually become a nuisance."

"Mr. Du means to kill them all?" Xi Su thought he sensed the murderous intent in Du Ji's tone, so he asked tentatively.

Du Ji shook his head: "If the Qiang and Hu people are unruly and rebel, they should be killed. If the obedient ones are killed together, the Qiang and Hu people in Taiyuan, Yanmen, Daijun and other places will be terrified. They will die if they surrender or fight. It is better to fight. By then, Bingzhou will be in turmoil and it will be difficult to settle it."

"Therefore, when dealing with the Qiang and Hu people, all the cunning and strong ones among them can be captured and killed, and the obedient and peaceful Qiang and Hu can be recruited by the government to prevent them from surrendering and rebelling, so as to divide the Qiang and Hu people and stabilize the area."

"Hmm?" Xi Su said in confusion, "Didn't Lord Du just say that the Qiang and Hu people are afraid of our military might and will surrender temporarily, but will cause trouble in the long run? Why do we have to conquer them on one hand and pacify them on the other? Isn't that just leaving trouble for the future?"

"If the barbarians enter China, they will become Chinese." Du Ji laughed and said, "If the government is fair and honest, and the Qiang and Hu are properly recruited and pacified, and they are educated with rituals and music, after a few generations, the Qiang and Hu can be transformed into Chinese people."

"After several generations?" Xi Su was troubled. He shook his head and said, "That may not be easy. Five or ten years is fine, but if you want to persist for decades, I'm afraid no one has the perseverance to do that."

As a bureaucrat, Xi Su was familiar with government affairs. The habit of officials has always been to seek refuge easily and to have little perseverance and determination. However, what Du Ji said was even more difficult.

"Everything depends on human efforts. Dripping water wears away stone." Du Ji replied to Xi Su with a serious face.

After saying this, the two men rode their horses towards the county temple in Jinyang to meet Liu Zhang who was stationed in Jinyang.

"The Marquis is here." Liu Zhang said enthusiastically when he saw Du Ji entering the left wing of the county temple. "Your Majesty." Du Ji bowed, put his hands together, bowed deeply, and saluted Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang pointed to the seat near him and motioned Du Ji to sit down.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Du Ji first thanked him and then sat down calmly.

"You came from Hedong to Jinyang. What did you see and hear along the way?" Liu Zhang asked. He looked at Du Ji and waited for Du Ji to give an answer.

When Du Ji was summoned from Hedong to Jinyang, he speculated about Liu Zhang's intentions along the way. He roughly knew why Liu Zhang summoned him here, so he made some preparations for the questions that Liu Zhang might ask when meeting him.

Hearing Liu Zhang's question, Du Ji did not have time to think and answered immediately: "The Qiang and Hu people have moved inwards, and there have been years of war. The people of Taiyuan County have been displaced, the land cannot be cultivated, and the people are living in poverty. The situation is very bad."

"This time, the king has led an expedition here, and the war has been put to an end. The people are now able to live in peace and are no longer in danger. However, although the war has been put to an end, the governance of the country and the people's safety still need wise and capable people to decide."

"What do you think is the right way to govern the country and keep the people safe?" Liu Zhang nodded slightly and asked the second question.

Du Ji brought out his draft: "Governing should focus on peace and tranquility, and not carry out complicated government affairs. To ensure the people's well-being, we should reduce taxes and levies, and live in harmony with the people. In this way, the vitality of Taiyuan County can be restored to some extent."

"Yes." Liu Zhang nodded a little wider, and then asked a key question: "You know that the Qiang and Hu people have migrated to Taiyuan, do you have a plan to resolve it?"

Du Ji also had a final answer to this question. He said: "First, we can recruit the best and strongest men among the Qiang and Hu tribes as soldiers to weaken their power. Second, we should limit the number of Qiang and Hu tribes to no more than 100 households to divide their situation. Third, the government must recruit and pacify them properly and educate them in a proper way to try to convert them into Chinese."

At this point, Du Ji changed the subject: "However, these three measures are only to treat the root cause, not the root cause. To treat the root cause, we need the power of the Han family to overwhelm the Qiang and Hu. Whether it is population, money and food, armor and weapons, etc., only when the Han family is strong and the Qiang and Hu are weak, can Taiyuan County enjoy eternal peace."

Liu Zhang nodded, and gave the reason for summoning Du Ji: "Taiyuan has just been settled, and the affairs are complicated. I am determined, and no one but you can handle it. I wonder if you are willing to serve as the governor of Taiyuan County."

"I have no objection to the king's order." Du Ji stepped aside and bowed, then accepted the position of prefect of Taiyuan County.

……

Yecheng.

Since he went to the south to fight and was defeated at Guandu and retreated to Jizhou, Yuan Shao has been in a bad mood and it is obvious in his words.

There is a reason for this. The westward advance was blocked by Yubi, and the southward advance was defeated at Guandu. Whether it was westward or southward, from last year to this year, Yuan Shao had always encountered failures. Naturally, he was not happy and was depressed.

Especially after receiving the battle report from the senior official of Bingzhou Mu, Yuan Shao's face became even uglier.

First, Gao Gan handed over a document saying that he had stopped the troops from Guanzhong outside the city of Yong'an, and that Taiyuan and Shangdang were as safe as Mount Tai. However, just a few days later, Gao Gan handed over an extremely urgent document saying that the troops from Guanzhong had attacked Jiexiu in his rear. In order to avoid being attacked from both sides and being defeated and imprisoned, he had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat to Shangdang.

This means that Taiyuan County fell into the hands of Liu Zhang.

"Incompetent." It was not known whether he was talking about Gao Gan or himself. At this moment, Yuan Shao's face was dusty and gray, and he was in a state of destitution and despair. He could not go south to the Central Plains, and was attacked by Liu Zhang in the west. He lost the important Taiyuan County. Bad news came one after another, shattering Yuan Shao's confidence and pride.

Yuan Shao looked unhappy. The people below him, such as Feng Ji, Guo Tu and others, all lowered their heads, looked at their noses with their ears, their mouths with their noses, and their hearts with their mouths, without saying a word, for fear of being affected by the furious Yuan Shao.

Tian Feng, the deputy driver, showed no fear when he saw this. He said, "Sir, Shangdang is the frontier of Jizhou and controls the road to Chenguan. It is related to the gains and losses of Henei. Therefore, Shangdang must not be lost. Otherwise, Jizhou will be under the attack of the troops of Guanzhong, and the land of Sanhe will be taken by Liu Jiyu."

"Gao Gan's troops have been defeated and retreated to Yong'an. Their morale must be low. We should send strong troops and appoint famous generals to lead them to garrison Shangdang as soon as possible to prevent any changes."

Ju Su's ally Tian Feng attended and responded, "Mingsong, as the deputy driver said, Shangdang is an important place and must not be lost. Otherwise, with the troops from Guanzhong nearby, Yecheng will be in danger three times a day and will never have peace."

Yuan Shao was silent for a moment, then he nodded heavily and said, "What the deputy driver said is true. Shangdang is an important place that cannot be lost... Immediately order Qu Yi and Zhang He to lead a large force to guard it. We must not let Shangdang fall into Liu Jiyu's hands."

After the Shangdang issue was decided, Yuan Shao, who had no interest in discussing it, dismissed the meeting. He came to the backyard, sat in the pavilion by the pond, looked at the slightly rippling water, and became melancholy.

Times are bad, and life is full of misfortunes.

An idea came to Yuan Shao's mind. Ever since he unified Hebei and became extremely powerful, he has been on a downward spiral in the past two years. He led an army of 100,000 to the west, but was blocked by a small Yubi City for several months and could not move forward. So he gave up on biting the steel-like Yubi City and led his troops in three directions to march southward.

Going south would have been a sure win, but unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. Xu You betrayed his master and leaked military secrets to Cao Cao, which led to the burning of Wuchao and most of the food and grass being burned. He had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat.

They were blocked everywhere and could not make any progress. Now Liu Zhang took advantage of the situation and seized the important place of Taiyuan County while Liu Bang was fighting Cao Cao.

Frustrated, annoyed, depressed, all kinds of negative emotions piled up in Yuan Shao's heart.

"Oh..." He suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Why is father sighing so long?" A crisp question came from behind Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao forced a smile and said, "Shang'er." Yuan Shao recognized the person's voice and figured out his identity from the tone of voice. He answered, "From last year to today, everything has not gone as I wished. I feel sad because my father is not interested in me."

Yuan Shang smiled and said, "Why did father lose heart because of a small setback? He turned to Emperor Gao but was forced by King Xiang to be the King of Han, and was not allowed to be the King of Guanzhong. Later, Emperor Gao returned to conquer the Three Qins and competed with King Xiang for supremacy. Although he was defeated by King Xiang many times, he was unyielding and finally achieved his imperial career. There were more than ten ups and downs in the process."

“It can be seen that heroes should have the spirit to face difficulties head-on and never give up. If they lose their spirit because of temporary setbacks, how can they be called heroes?”

When Yuan Shao heard these words, he laughed out loud and said, "I am very happy that my son has such insight and tolerance." (End of this chapter)