I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1049 The Hu Children All Adopt Han Names

The integration policy of Su Yao has achieved such great success, which is something Su Yao never expected at the beginning.

But the reason is actually very simple.

In this era, taxes placed an extremely heavy burden on ordinary people.

Especially in the Kushan region, the administrative capacity was not as good as that of the Han Dynasty. They implemented a tax farming system, and this tax system was the key to the problem.

The tax farming system was a system in which the state contracted out the tax collection task to certain nobles and large merchants, who were responsible for paying taxes to the court on time and in the required amount. However, any additional revenue other than taxes belonged to the tax farmers.

Such policies have given them ample room to exploit, leading them to intensify their oppression of the people.

Those who collected large taxes employed many brutal tax collectors who levied exorbitant taxes, causing immense suffering to the people.

Now, when they hear that as long as they marry Han soldiers, their whole family can have their taxes reduced, be protected by the Han army, and become privileged military families, this is simply a wonderful thing!
The more astute lower and middle-class nobles, in particular, saw this as an excellent opportunity to curry favor with the powerful. They brought their daughters of marriageable age, hoping to arrange marriages with Han generals.

In no time, the city was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, filled with a joyous atmosphere. Seeing this, Su Yao simply ordered the establishment of a "Marriage Bureau" in the city, specifically responsible for arranging marriages between soldiers and local women.

"General, this..." Zhang Liao looked at the long line of noble ladies before him, both amused and exasperated: "This humble general has already..."

“Wen Yuan,” Su Yao patted him on the shoulder, “you are a general in our army, you must set an example. One isn’t enough, we need at least three!”

Yufuluo laughed heartily from the side: "Exactly! Look at our Xiongnu warriors, which one doesn't have a harem of wives and concubines? General Zhang, you're too reserved!"

Now you know about the Xiongnu warriors?!

Zhang Liao inwardly grumbled upon this.

The reason is simple: these Xiongnu people accompanying the army really know how to have fun.

As soon as Su Yao announced this policy, many people "quietly" changed their ethnicity, claiming to be Han soldiers, and trying to take advantage of the imperial court's policy.

The Xiongnu people could fool the ignorant Kushans by impersonating Han people, but how could they possibly fool the real Han people?

That very day, a clerk from the marriage office came to the governor's mansion to complain to Su Yao, demanding that such behavior be severely punished.

But to everyone's surprise, Su Yao not only didn't punish him, but instead burst into laughter.

"What's wrong with that? Their willingness to acknowledge their ancestors and return to the embrace of our great Han Dynasty is a wonderful thing!"

“Recognizing one’s ancestors and returning to one’s roots??” The clerk stared wide-eyed.

"That's right, didn't you know? The Xiongnu people were originally descendants of the Xia dynasty, and they share the same origin as our Huaxia people."

Su Yao said in a serious tone, "They are now willing to speak Han language, wear Han clothes, and fight alongside us, shedding a lot of blood. Don't they deserve a reward?"

The clerk was speechless after hearing this. He reluctantly opened his mouth, wanting to say something about the difference between the Han and non-Han peoples, but Su Yao waved his hand dismissively:
"Issue the order: From this day forward, all soldiers of our army on the western expedition who are willing to change their surnames to Han, learn Han etiquette, and speak Han language shall enjoy the same treatment as the Han soldiers!"

Upon receiving this order, the soldiers from various ethnic groups, including the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Qiang, cheered with joy.

They were able to join the Han army on expeditions because they were staunch pro-Han people who admired Han culture and the great general's reputation. Now they could rightfully "recognize their ancestors" and enjoy the generous treatment of the Han army. Why wouldn't they want to?
Yufuluo was the first to embrace this policy. He even wanted to change his surname to Su to show his deep respect for Su Yao and to ensure that his descendants would remember the great general's benevolence.

This guy showered him with flattery, and even though Su Yao had gotten used to being praised in the past two years, he couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Let's skip that."

"Our Han people believe in not marrying people with the same surname. Now that I have married Yun'er, if the Chanyu changes his surname to Su, wouldn't we be breaking the ethical code?"

Upon hearing this, Yufuluo was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "General Tian is right, our culture is lacking, so please bestow a surname upon us by General Tian."

Su Yao paused slightly.

Historically, the Xiongnu royal family changed their surname to Liu, and when Liu Yuan established the Han Zhao regime, he claimed to be a descendant of the Han dynasty. Now, Yufuluo's initiative to request the bestowal of the surname is a good opportunity to win over the hearts and minds of the people.

But the surname is Liu.
Thinking of the many vassal kings in the country whose fiefdoms were being gradually reduced, Su Yao said:

“Then let’s change the surname to Yu.” “Yu is one of the eight ancient surnames, and it shares the same origin as Ji and Jiang. It is in line with the noble status of the Chanyu, so there is no need to change the name.”

Upon hearing this, Yufuluo was overjoyed and immediately knelt on one knee: "Thank you, General, for bestowing upon me your surname!"

This move caused a huge uproar in the military.

Upon seeing this, the foreign generals who had been observing the situation followed suit and requested to be granted the surname Han and return to Han rule.

The fact that Hufro used the first character of his name as his surname gave them further inspiration.

Soon, a wave of name-changing swept through the military:
For example, the Xianbei general Murong Lie changed his surname to Mu, the Qiang leader Yao Ke changed his surname to Yao, and the Wuhuan warrior Qiu Lin changed his surname to Qiu... In just two or three days, nearly half of the warriors from other ethnic groups in the western expeditionary army had completed the change of their surnames.

The reason why only half of the marriages were changed is that the city's marriage resources are temporarily saturated. Many people have decided to wait and see, and wait until the next time they can receive a reward, since they will not receive any reward even after changing their surnames.

Indeed, under Su Yao's promotion, marriages between expeditionary soldiers and locals were in full swing. In just three days, nearly a thousand couples got married, and for a time there were almost no suitable women of marriageable age around the city.

It's important to understand that ancient cities, unlike modern cities, were largely urbanized, with the majority of their population residing in rural areas.

Even in the Han Dynasty, apart from a few large cities like Luoyang, the urban population of ordinary county towns was only a few thousand.

This important town in northwestern Kushan, while not as sprawling as a castle in ancient Europe with hundreds of inhabitants, had a population of only five or six thousand.

The nearly one thousand people who have gotten married have already squeezed the human resources of this city and the surrounding areas to their limit.

To what extent has it come to this?

That is, nowadays, not only do ordinary soldiers of the Han army not have to spend a penny on betrothal gifts when they marry or take concubines, but for those officers and generals with official ranks, some even compete with each other and give out generous dowries.

This is the power of policy.

Su Yao stood on the city wall, gazing at the festively decorated city, a slight smile playing on his lips. Zhang Liao, however, beside him, frowned deeply.

"General, won't such large-scale intermarriage affect our army's combat strength?"

Su Yao chuckled lightly, "Wen Yuan is overthinking it. These soldiers, now that they have families, will be even more determined to protect this land."

He pointed to the vast plains outside the city: "Look, this land in the middle of the river is not only a vital passage connecting the Central Plains and the West, but also has abundant water and grass, making it suitable for both agriculture and animal husbandry. It is a good place to garrison troops and raise soldiers."

"Once the war is over, I plan to establish a military garrison here as a forward outpost for controlling the Kushan and Parthian territories, so that our soldiers can both defend their homeland and live in peace and prosperity."

"However, we still need to resolve the Parthian conflict first."

With the matchmaking event nearing its end and the group having rested enough, Su Yao quickly turned his attention to his next target – Mulu City.

It was not only the largest and most prosperous city in northwestern Kushan, but also the commercial center of the entire Central Asia region, with a large population and abundant resources.

More importantly, according to the surrendered soldiers, that place is now the temporary palace of King Vologasis V of Parthia and the command center of the Parthian expeditionary force.

"The General is right; it's just that the soldiers are newly married."

"Tell them that if they win the next battle, each of them will have another chance to be rewarded with a beautiful woman!" Su Yao laughed heartily. "I've heard that the girls in Mulu City are even more beautiful!"

The Han Dynasty practiced a system of one wife and multiple concubines; who says one could only have one woman?
As long as you make meritorious contributions in every battle, whether you are a warrior who has already been rewarded with a beautiful woman or a soldier who has not yet been ranked, you can continue to receive rewards!

Beauty, wealth, land, official rank—as long as you fight bravely, everyone can carve out a bright future with the swords and spears in their hands!
Su Yao's words were like a shot in the arm, instantly igniting the soldiers' fighting spirit. Those newly married soldiers, far from indulging in their newfound happiness, were even more eager to achieve great deeds.

"Long live the Holy Lord!"

"We swear to follow the General to the death!"

"Order the entire army to set off tomorrow, destination—Mulu City!"

(End of this chapter)