Ji Han Liu Zhang

May, the sixth year of Jian'an.

The Southern Xiongnu tribe that originally lived in Taiyuan County was divided into ten groups by Taiyuan County Magistrate Du Ji. Each group had about 2,000 people, and each group lived far away from each other and had no borders.

The Xiongnu captain Hulida led one of the divisions.

As an elder among the Xiongnu, Hulida knew that Du Ji's intention of dividing them was nothing more than to disperse them and prevent them from gathering together to cause chaos. Even if a certain group of Xiongnu wanted to commit treason, with only more than 2,000 people, they could not cause any big waves.

Hulida was somewhat discouraged. There were many wary eyes from the Taiyuan government surrounding his tribe, forcing him to behave himself and not move around at will. He had to stay in the area designated by the government. Therefore, even though the Southern Xiongnu had migrated inland for a long time, the Han people still regarded them as barbarians.

However, although the Southern Xiongnu had moved inland for a long time, their way of doing things on the grasslands was difficult to get rid of in a short period of time without being refined by several generations, and they could not be like real Han people.

Take their hairstyle for example. Their heads are basically shaved, leaving only two small tufts of hair at the temples. Unlike the Han people, they braid their hair into a bun and place it on top of their heads. Their Xiongnu custom is to marry the wife of their father and the wife of their brother after his death. This is an insurmountable line for the Han people.

It's not the Han people's fault, Hulida sighed secretly. These people look like barbarians and behave like barbarians. It is reasonable for them to be despised and treated as barbarians by the Han people.

For the future of the tribe, Hulida began to think. This was because the Southern Xiongnu Great Khan Huochuquan had died, and the Left Wise King Liu Bao had died, leaving only the Right Wise King Qubei. It was said that he had defected to Wei Gong Yuan Shao. The Xiongnu people who remained in Taiyuan County were like rootless duckweed or a headless snake.

There was no one to guide or point out what the future would be like or what to do, so as a captain, Hulida could only think about it on his own.

Today, Taiyuan County is ruled by Du Ji, the county magistrate from Guanzhong. The Han government has some bottom lines and has not massacred the Huns. Instead, it has divided the area into ten tribes and strictly prohibited them from migrating or contacting each other. It seems that they want to gradually wear them down.

Hulida was determined to follow the government's intentions and ordered his people to imitate the Han people and integrate into Han society. However, his people's customs could not be changed or adapted to in a short time, and they were secretly guarded against and discriminated against by the government.

The pressure from the government made Hulida breathless, and the pressure from within the tribe also made Hulida uncomfortable. The Huns were accustomed to migrating around and never stayed in one place for too long.

But at that time the government strictly ordered them not to migrate. Under the threat of the government's strong troops, they had not moved for several months. The tribesmen had been staying here all the time, and there were many complaints among them. Some people even contacted each other privately with the intention of causing chaos.

Hulida saw all this and was worried. To be honest, he didn't like staying in one place all the time, but he had seen the bravery of the Han generals Zhang Ren and Zhang Yan, and there was no way they could be Zhang Ren and Zhang Yan's opponents.

With their mere 2,000 soldiers, I'm afraid Zhang Ren with just two or three hundred men would be enough to kill them all.

How did the Great Chanyu Huochuquan die? Hulida knew it clearly. He saw the Great Chanyu being killed by a charge by the Han general Zhang Ren. The Han people were too fierce. They were no match for them. Rebellion would only lead to the extinction of their clan.

However, the complaints and restlessness of the Huns below became more and more serious, and Hulida had no good solution.

He was not of noble race of the Xiongnu, but he was brave enough to be appointed as a captain. Among the Xiongnu people, who valued bloodline, he did not have much prestige and could not suppress the complaints and restlessness among them.

Hulida sighed. He had no say in the government and he could not control the people below him. Sooner or later, his Huns would become restless and start a rebellion. Then the Han people would come to suppress the rebellion and they would be exterminated.

The future can be relied on! It was like he plunged headfirst into the darkness, and Hulida could not find a ray of light. He thought about moving out of Taiyuan County, but the tribe not only had men, but also women and children, and most of their horses were confiscated by the Han people. The speed of migration would be very slow, and it would be easy for them to be caught up by the Han army cavalry stationed in Jinyang, and then the cavalry would kill them...

Staying here means death, and migrating would probably be a dangerous path. Hulida suddenly felt a headache.

Just then, someone came to report that Lan Ke wanted to see him.

"Lan Ke." Hulida's eyebrows showed confusion. He knew who Lan Ke was, but he didn't understand why Lan Ke came here.

He also knew that Lan Ke was a captain under the Right Wise King Qu Bei, and that the Right Wise King Qu Bei was now affiliated with Yuan Shao of Hebei. He had not received any news from Qu Bei for several months, so it was a bit puzzling that Lan Ke came to visit him.

"Hurry up and come in." Hulida gave an order. Just as the messenger was about to receive the order, he stopped the messenger and said, "Wait, I will go to greet him personally."

Now that the Great Chanyu Huochuquan is dead and the Left Wise King Liu Bao is dead, the only important person in the Southern Xiongnu is the Right Wise King Qubei. Hulida regards Qubei as his savior, and he decides to personally welcome the savior's messenger.

Soon, in the big tent, Lan Ke sat in the main seat, and Hulida sat in the guest seat. He carefully asked Lan Ke: "Lan Ke, you came to me, but what is the order of the Right Wise King..."

Hulida patted his chest and swore, "No matter what the Right Sage King orders, I will not frown even if I have to go through fire and water."

Lan Ke smiled, he was very satisfied with Hulida's reaction, but he first corrected the mistake in Hulida's words: "It's not that the Right Wise King has any orders, it's the Great Chanyu who sent me here to see how everyone is doing."

"The Great Chanyu?" Hulida was a little stunned. Wasn't the Great Chanyu Huochequan stabbed to death by a spear by the Han general Zhang Ren? Could a dead man still give orders?

After a moment of trance, Hulida quickly reacted. He understood that the Great Chanyu that Lan Ke was talking about was not Huochuquan, but the former Right Wise King Qubei. It was natural for the Great Chanyu to die and for the Right Wise King to succeed him.

Hulida nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, it's the Great Chanyu..." After confirming Lan Ke's words, Hulida answered Lan Ke's question: "Life is very difficult. The Han government does not allow us to migrate, nor does it allow our tribes to contact each other. Everyone has some complaints, but because of the Han military power, no one dares to take any action."

"Don't worry, the Great Chanyu is coming, and the blue sky will be there." Lan Ke showed a mysterious smile.

Hulida showed excitement: "The Great Chanyu is coming to rescue us?!"

"Yes." Lan Ke nodded: "The Great Chanyu will lead his troops to Taiyuan soon. When the time comes, you..."

Before Lan Ke could finish, Hulida patted his chest and promised: "As soon as the Great Chanyu's vanguard arrives, I will mobilize all the men in my army to respond to the Great Chanyu's call."

"You're fine." Lan Ke affirmed.

After staying at Hulida for one night, Lan Ke left early the next morning. He also had to convey the order of the Great Khan Qubei to several other Xiongnu tribes, so that when Qubei arrived, all the Xiongnu people in Taiyuan County would raise their flags to respond and give the Han government and the county governor Du Ji a surprise. (End of this chapter)