Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 704 Planning the Grassland
When the alliance between Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan was on the verge of a war, and Dong Zhuo secretly instigated the Xianbei, Wuhuan and Qiang tribes to form a siege on Bingzhou, Jia Shisan was methodically carrying out his grand plan in Bingzhou City. He knew very well that in this chaotic world, only if one's own strength was strong enough could one survive and develop in the cracks between various forces.

After learning that various forces were coveting Bingzhou, Jia Shisan made a prompt decision and ordered the closure of Bingzhou. He sent elite soldiers to strictly guard the passes and roads of Bingzhou, set up many checkpoints at the transportation hubs, and strictly checked the passers-by. No one, whether businessmen or refugees, was allowed to enter or leave Bingzhou without a special pass. For a time, Bingzhou seemed like a solid fortress, and its connection with the outside world was suddenly cut off, becoming mysterious and unpredictable.

At the same time, Jia Shisan set his sights on the aristocratic families in Bingzhou. These aristocratic families have been rooted in Bingzhou for a long time, with complex power and control of a large amount of land, population and wealth. On weekdays, they are rich and unkind, annexing land, oppressing the people, and often colluding with external forces in an attempt to seek personal gain. Jia Shisan knows that if these aristocratic families are not completely eradicated, Bingzhou will not be truly stable, and his own development will be restricted everywhere.

Thus, an action against the aristocratic families was quietly launched. Jia Shisan first secretly sent his confidants to investigate the crimes of the aristocratic families and collect evidence of their violations of laws and regulations and collusion with foreign enemies. After a period of secret investigation, Jia Shisan had enough evidence and decided to take action.

One morning, the atmosphere in Bingzhou City was particularly solemn. At Jia Shisan's command, the army, which had been ready for a long time, quickly took action. They split into several groups and rushed to the mansions of various noble families. Like a tiger descending from a mountain, the soldiers quickly controlled the entrances and exits of the mansions and surrounded the people of the noble families.

Faced with the sudden change, the noble families were panicked. They had never seen such a scene before, as they usually lived in luxury. Some noble families tried to resist, but their resistance seemed so powerless in front of the well-trained army. Jia Shisan personally took command and ruthlessly suppressed those noble families who resisted. For a time, the shouts of killing in Bingzhou City shook the sky, and the streets were stained with blood.

In this action, Jia Shisan showed no mercy. He used thunderous means to kill hundreds of noble families in one fell swoop. All the property of these noble families was confiscated, including gold, silver, treasures, land, grain and livestock. A large amount of money was transported to the Bingzhou treasury, and the mountains of grain and grass were properly stored, which became a solid backing for Jia Shisan to expand his power.

With sufficient supplies, Jia Shisan began to recruit troops. He posted notices all over Bingzhou, announcing the recruitment of soldiers. The notice stated that any healthy man who was willing to serve the country could come and sign up to join the army. Those who joined the army would not only receive generous military pay, but also receive land and property after the war.

The news spread like wildfire to every corner of Bingzhou. The people who had suffered so much from the war saw hope for a change in their fate. They told each other and signed up to join the army. The registration office was crowded with people and it was very lively.

Jia Shisan personally selected the soldiers, and he had extremely high requirements for the soldiers' physical fitness and military literacy. Every person who came to sign up had to go through a strict physical fitness test, martial arts assessment, and loyalty test. Only those who passed the layers of screening could become a member of Jia Shisan's army.

During the recruitment process, Jia Shisan also focused on selecting talents. He recruited talents from all walks of life, whether they were strategists who were good at strategy or generals who were proficient in martial arts. As long as they had real talents and knowledge, they could find a stage to display their talents in his army. Many young people who were originally unknown stood out because of this recruitment and became capable generals under Jia Shisan.

In order to improve the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, Jia Shisan also hired experienced instructors to conduct strict training for the new recruits. On the training ground, the soldiers trained hard under the scorching sun and in the severe cold. They learned battle formations, practiced martial arts, and practiced horseback archery. They practiced every action repeatedly, striving to achieve perfection. Jia Shisan often visited the training ground in person to boost the morale of the soldiers and reward and commend the soldiers who performed well.

As the recruitment went smoothly, Jia Shisan's army continued to grow. In just a few months, he successfully recruited 200,000 troops. Under Jia Shisan's careful training and strict management, these 200,000 troops became an elite army with strict discipline and strong combat effectiveness. They were dressed in brand new armor, holding sharp weapons, with high morale, ready to meet the upcoming war at any time.

During this period, Jia Shisan not only made great achievements in the military, but also carried out a series of reforms in politics and economy. He redistributed land, reduced the tax burden on the people, and encouraged the people to develop production. At the same time, he also strengthened the management of commerce and promoted the prosperity of Bingzhou's economy. Under Jia Shisan's governance, Bingzhou had a brand new look, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and were full of gratitude and support for Jia Shisan.

However, Jia Shisan knew that the challenges he faced had just begun. The alliance of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Gongsun Zan, as well as the threats from the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Qiang tribes, were like a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. But he was not afraid. With his wisdom and courage, he led the people of Bingzhou and an army of 200,000 to meet this unprecedented challenge. He firmly believed that in this chaotic world, he would be able to carve out a world of his own and achieve hegemony.

As the situation in Bingzhou became increasingly tense and various forces surrounded him like vicious wolves, Jia Changsheng, who had transformed into Jia Shisan, knew that passive defense was not a long-term solution. While he was preparing his troops in Bingzhou, he also set his sights on the Sui Empire thousands of miles away. A shocking plan to strike first, attack the Xianbei, occupy the Xianbei grassland, and enslave five million Xianbei people, quietly took shape in his mind.

Jia Changsheng quickly wrote a letter and sent his confidant to deliver it to the Great Sui Empire. The letter elaborated on the current situation and his plan: "Now Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Gongsun Zan have formed an alliance, and Dong Zhuo has instigated the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Qiang tribes to covet our Bingzhou. But there are opportunities in crises. Although the Xianbei are strong, they are loose internally and have many conflicts with surrounding forces. If the Great Sui can cooperate with us internally and externally, first concentrate our forces to defeat the Xianbei and occupy their vast grasslands, we can not only eliminate the current threat, but also obtain endless resources and manpower, laying the foundation for dominating the world in the future."

In the court of the Great Sui Empire, the ministers passed around Jia Changsheng's letter and discussed it. Prime Minister Yuwen Tai was the first to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, what Jia Shisan said is not without reason. The Xianbei tribe has been expanding wantonly on the grasslands and has also invaded our Great Sui border from time to time. If we can take this opportunity to subdue them, it will be a blessing for the Great Sui."

However, some ministers expressed concerns: "Although what the Prime Minister said is good, the Xianbei people are brave and good at fighting, and the grassland terrain is complex. If we rashly send troops, there may be risks. What if Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others take advantage of our army's expedition and join forces with other forces to invade our Sui Dynasty? How should we respond?"

As the crowds were arguing, the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty fell into deep thought. After a long while, he slowly spoke: "This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided hastily. First, send intelligence personnel to the grasslands to find out the Xianbei's military deployment, tribal distribution, and relationship with other ethnic groups before making a decision."

As a result, the intelligence agencies of the Sui Dynasty quickly began to operate. Groups of experienced intelligence personnel disguised themselves and sneaked into the grasslands. Some of them pretended to be merchants, traded between tribes, and took the opportunity to gather information; others disguised themselves as herdsmen, herded on the grasslands, and secretly observed the military actions of the Xianbei people.

At the same time, Jia Changsheng was not idle in Bingzhou. He personally selected a group of elite scouts and asked them to disguise themselves as Xianbei herdsmen and sneak into the territory of the Xianbei people. These scouts went deep into the hinterland of the grassland, risking their lives, and collected a lot of intelligence about the Xianbei people. After a period of hard work, the intelligence of both sides was gradually summarized. Jia Changsheng and the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty communicated frequently through pigeons, and had a detailed understanding of the situation of the Xianbei people. It turned out that the Xianbei people were not united, and the tribes often fought for pastures and resources. This time, Dong Zhuo instigated them to attack Bingzhou. Although they reached an agreement on the surface, the tribes still had ulterior motives and were suspicious of each other.

When Jia Changsheng learned of this, he was overjoyed. He wrote to the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty: "Your Majesty, the internal conflicts among the Xianbei people are just our chance. We can first send envoys to the Xianbei people, pretending to ask for peace, to paralyze them. At the same time, secretly gather troops and prepare for a surprise attack. When they relax their vigilance, the Great Sui army will attack from the northern grasslands, and our Bingzhou army will attack from the south. We will surely defeat them in one fell swoop."

The Sui emperor adopted Jia Changsheng's suggestion and ordered the army to be mobilized and secretly assembled on the northern border. At the same time, he sent envoys with a large amount of gold, silver, treasures, fine wine and delicious food to the Xianbei royal court.

When the envoy met the Xianbei leader Ke Bineng, he presented a gift and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am an envoy from the Great Sui Dynasty. The Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty heard that Your Majesty is about to send troops to Bingzhou, so he ordered me to come and seek peace. The Great Sui Dynasty is willing to form an alliance with the Xianbei people and pay a large amount of tribute to the Xianbei people every year. I only ask Your Majesty not to attack the border of the Great Sui Dynasty."

Kobe was secretly pleased with the mountains of treasures before him. He thought, "The Sui Dynasty is really afraid of the prestige of our Xianbei people. Now with Dong Zhuo's promise, after we take over Bingzhou, our Xianbei people will surely become the most powerful force on the grassland." So he gladly accepted the Sui Dynasty's request for peace and relaxed his vigilance on the northern border.

Jia Changsheng was also preparing for war. He divided the 200,000-man army into two groups. One group was led by himself and stationed at the border between Bingzhou and the Xianbei tribe, waiting for the opportunity. The other group was led by a capable general and secretly moved to the flank of the Xianbei tribe, preparing to launch a surprise attack.

After everything was ready, Jia Changsheng agreed with the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty on the time of the attack. Late at night, everything was silent and the grassland was peaceful. Suddenly, the Great Sui army poured into the Xianbei territory from the north like a tide. They lit torches, shouted and killed, and quickly broke through the first line of defense of the Xianbei people.

Kirby was panicked when he learned that the Sui army was coming. He quickly summoned the leaders of the tribes to prepare for the battle. However, before he could organize his troops, the Bingzhou army led by Jia Changsheng also launched a fierce attack from the south. The Xianbei tribe was attacked from both sides and immediately fell into chaos.

On the battlefield, swords flashed and blood flew everywhere. Jia Changsheng rode a tall horse, holding a spear and charging forward. His soldiers were inspired and their morale was boosted. They rushed towards the enemy like tigers. The Sui army was not to be outdone. With their excellent equipment and strict discipline, they fought fiercely with the Xianbei people.

Although the Xianbei tribe was brave, they gradually could not resist the attack of Jia Changsheng and the Sui army. Chaos began to appear among the tribes, and some tribes fled the battlefield to protect themselves. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Kirby led the remaining troops to flee deep into the grassland.

Jia Changsheng and the Sui army pursued the victory and captured many tribes and strongholds of the Xianbei people along the way. After several days and nights of fierce fighting, they finally succeeded in occupying most of the Xianbei grassland.

Next, Jia Changsheng began to implement his next plan - to enslave five million Xianbei people. He knew that in order to completely control the Xianbei people, he could not rely solely on force, but also needed to infiltrate them from cultural and economic aspects.

Jia Changsheng ordered the establishment of multiple military strongholds on the Xianbei grasslands and stationed heavy troops to prevent the Xianbei from rebelling. At the same time, he sent a large number of officials and scholars to the Xianbei tribes to spread the culture and technology of the Central Plains. He encouraged the Xianbei to intermarry with the Han people, learn Chinese and Chinese characters, and gradually eliminate the differences between the ethnic groups.

In terms of economy, Jia Changsheng implemented a series of policies to control the Xianbei people. He nationalized the land of the Xianbei people and then distributed it to the Xianbei people for cultivation, but required them to pay high taxes to Bingzhou and the Sui Dynasty. He also monopolized the trade of the Xianbei people and controlled their economic lifeline.

Jia Changsheng mercilessly suppressed the rebellious Xianbei tribes, dispatching troops to encircle and suppress them, killing all the rebels and turning the rest into slaves, who were sent to various places to do hard labor.

After a period of hard work, Jia Changsheng finally succeeded in enslaving five million Xianbei people. The Xianbei people have since become a trump card in his hand, providing strong support for his future struggle for hegemony.

However, Jia Changsheng knew that this was only the first step in his quest to dominate the world. Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan and other forces were still strong, and the Wuhuan and Qiang tribes could return at any time. But he was not afraid. With his wisdom and courage, he would continue to write his own legend in this chaotic world.

Next, Jia Changsheng was ready to take action.

(End of this chapter)