My life is like walking on thin ice

Article 542 is invincible.

In the southern region, the Shanyu court remained silent. The various tribes possessed gold, silver, jewels, skilled craftsmen, and beautiful young women with blonde hair and blue eyes, yet they suffered from a lack of food to fill their stomachs.

Meanwhile, in Hexi, separated from Munan by Gaoque and facing the plateau, a dramatic change had already begun.

Last autumn, the Hexi Hunxie tribe arrived in most of Hexi, the ancestral land of the Xiutu tribe, under the pretext of "alliance and exchange".

No one knows what happened that night.

No one knows how the Hunxie tribe managed to do it.

All people know is that after that night, the Xiutu tribe, which had once dominated the Hexi region, was slaughtered by the Hunxie tribe, which was clearly not as powerful as itself, leaving no one alive.

The Xiutu tribe was almost completely wiped out, and all the tribes in Hexi rose up in fury!
Before the various tribes in Hexi could react, the Hunxie tribe, which had managed to occupy Xiutuze, preemptively sent envoys to the Hetao region east of Hexi.

Meanwhile, a sensational news story spread throughout the grasslands.

—After stealing Xiutuze, Hunxie Wang did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately sent a memorial to Chang'an requesting to become a subject of his court and offered Xiutuze to the emperor with both hands!
When the news spread, people from all the tribes of the grasslands, and even the lowest-ranking nomadic people, began to curse the Hunxie tribe for betraying the nomadic people and the Heavenly God of the Plow.

The news particularly shocked the tribes in Hexi, who had already lost the main body of the Shanyu court and the support and maintenance of the Munan region.

At the same time, some of the few knowledgeable people on the grasslands began to speculate about the matter of Xiutuze.

The Hunxie tribe, despite being slightly weaker, slaughtered the stronger Xiutu tribe and seized Xiutu Marsh. This was clearly not something that could be accomplished by one person alone.

Judging from the subsequent actions of the Hunxie tribe—especially their offering of Xiutuze to the Han people as a pledge of allegiance—it is not difficult to guess that the Han people were involved behind the scenes in the Xiutuze incident.

But then, the Hunxie tribe put on a strange gesture that left everyone bewildered and unsure whether the Xiutuze incident actually involved a Han Chinese arm.

—Nominally surrendering Xiutuze, but in reality, still occupying Xiutuze under the guise of 'temporary control'.

It is mid-autumn, and the harsh winter is not far away.

Even in the Hetao region, which is closest to Xiutu Marsh, the Han dynasty only had time to send a few thousand troops, led by Cheng Bushi, in a ceremonial formation, to Xiutu Marsh.

Labor appreciation, and more symbolic 'inspection'.

But then came the harsh winter.

Whether north or south of the Great Wall, or east or west of the Yellow River, all things perish.

Xiu Tu Ze was thus held in the arms of the Hun Xie tribe for the entire winter.

That winter, another momentous event occurred that was enough to change the era and the history of human civilization.

The Han dynasty launched a proactive attack from the Hetao region, seizing it in one fell swoop and completely gaining strategic offensive control over the Xiongnu!

The balance of power in the conflict between the Han and the Xiongnu finally began to tip visibly toward the Han!

After the Hexi Corridor came under the control of the Han dynasty, the Hexi region was effectively no longer under the control of the Xiongnu Chanyu court and was cut off from the nomadic people's 'foundation': the southern part of the Mu region.

In the short term, after the Xiongnu lost Hexi, Hexi seemed to have become a 'no man's land'.

But everyone knows that Hexi cannot exist forever as a 'no man's land'.

Whether it was the Xiongnu or the Han Chinese—whichever side was stronger, they would inevitably keep this historical corridor connecting the Western Regions firmly in their own hands.

In the past, this area was controlled by the Xiongnu people.

Now that the Xiongnu have lost this place, it is inevitable that the Han people, who caused the Xiongnu to lose Hexi, will come and take control of Hexi.

However, everything takes time.

After all, war is not a modern online game.

The ownership of a territory cannot be completely transferred simply by defeating the enemy and having our troops occupy it.

Just like the Battle of Hetao-Mayi between the Han and Xiongnu in the past, the Han launched a two-pronged attack, using feints to the east and attacks to the west, and secretly crossing the Chencang pass while pretending to repair the plank road, using ingenious strategies to seize Hetao.

Even now, several years later, there are still a few isolated nomadic tribes or individuals in the Hetao region who hold expectations of the Xiongnu Chanyu court and the so-called 'glory of the nomads'.

The situation in Hexi is clearly more complicated.

Unlike the Hetao region, which is bordered by the Xiongnu to the north, the Han Dynasty's northern territory to the east, the Hexi Corridor to the west, and the plateau to the south;
The Hexi region is bordered by plateaus on the north and south sides, while the east and west sides are unobstructed, which is why later historians called it the Hexi Corridor.

What is a corridor?

It is a long and narrow structure with walls on the left and right sides and a road in front and back, forming a corridor.

The reason why Hexi is called a 'corridor' is because of its topography—it is not very narrow from north to south, but it is extremely long and narrow from east to west!

This long and narrow terrain unexpectedly gives the Hexi region another level of strategic depth.

Once upon a time, the Yuezhi people occupied the Hexi Corridor, first vying for supremacy with the Donghu, and later with the Xiongnu.

Even though they were ultimately defeated by the Xiongnu's swords, the Yuezhi people, who retreated to the west bank of the Yellow River, still caused the Xiongnu a lot of trouble for many years.

—From the reign of Emperor Gaozong, when Modu Chanyu defeated the Donghu and unified the north and south of the Great Mu, all the way to the middle age of Emperor Taizong when the Yuezhi people were completely defeated and fled west.

For more than thirty years, the Yuezhi people relied on the special geographical location of the Hexi Corridor to preserve themselves from the repeated encirclement and suppression by the Xiongnu.

Later, the Yuezhi people, who could not withstand the overwhelming force of the Xiongnu, were not completely wiped out by the Xiongnu despite their defeat in the war.

Instead, thanks to the strategic depth of the Hexi region running east to west, they were able to retreat smoothly to the Western Regions, and from then on they split and scattered in all directions—some went into the grasslands, some returned to Hexi, some stayed in the Western Regions, and some continued to migrate westward.

The situation in the Hexi region is different now.

Today, the various tribes in Hexi are all nomadic tribes that migrated here one by one from the vast grasslands after the Xiongnu Chanyu's court drove out the Yuezhi people with its unquestionable absolute military strength.

These tribes may have been strong or weak, but without a doubt, they were all descendants of the 'founding fathers' who had followed Modu Chanyu in their struggle against the Donghu people for dominance of the grasslands.

These tribes held an absolute and unquestionable loyalty to the Xiongnu Chanyu court—or at least to the great Modu Chanyu.

Therefore, after Gaoque changed hands and Hexi lost contact with Munan, the first thing to rise in the Hexi region was neither the evil trend of "separation and independence" nor the heroic spirit of welcoming the Han army with food and drink.

More tribes chose to unite to resist the possible expansion of the Han people and actively made contact with the southern part of the Mu region!
However, as time went by, especially with the continuous changes in the strategic landscape between the Han and Xiongnu, the Hexi region gradually became a 'chaotic land'.

When the Hetao region changed hands, the Hexi Corridor, which was originally located in the heart of the Xiongnu territory—at least not directly bordering the Han people—became the front line between the Han and Xiongnu. After the Gaoque region changed hands, the Hexi Corridor, which could originally form a defensive alliance with the Munan region, making it difficult for the Han people to advance or retreat, became a tactically isolated and helpless dead end.

As for the last hope—the main force of the Shanyuting returning from the western expedition—it was a huge disappointment to all the tribes in Hexi who had been full of hope.

—Marriage alliance, westward relocation;

— Strategic contraction, coupled with strategic shift.

From Shanyuting's decision, all the tribes in Hexi saw was Shanyuting's ruthless abandonment.

Thus, the last hope was shattered, and the last loyalty vanished into thin air.

All sorts of monsters and demons emerged, starting to peddle chaos across the Hexi Corridor.

The large tribes were advised that they should learn from the Hunxie tribe, feign surrender and submission to the Han people, but in reality, they should dominate their own territory and establish their own independent state.
If the Heavenly God of the Plow protects him, given time, he may well follow in the footsteps of Modu Chanyu and become another great ruler of the grasslands!
Medium-sized tribes encountered many Han Chinese "trading merchants" who went to great lengths to persuade them to submit to the Han dynasty, and laid out the Han's conditions in detail.

—A very few merchants even claimed that they could represent the Han emperor and negotiate directly with the various tribes!

As for small tribes...

This chaotic feast had nothing to do with small tribes.

Or rather, the small tribes were the dishes in this chaotic feast.

In just over a year, countless small tribes were garrisoned with troops.

In the Hexi Corridor, small tribes with a population of a hundred or so people, organized by family or clan, are almost no longer seen.

Even small tribes with thousands of people and thousands of soldiers were caught in the crossfire of the conflicts between medium and large tribes.

Either it was annexed by a medium to large tribe;

Either they were given a taste of what they had, because they refused to be swallowed up.

The chaotic internal environment, coupled with a seemingly oppressive external environment, appears to be accelerating the integration of the Hexi region.

In reality, it merely accelerated the development of the Hexi region, which was once home to numerous tribes, from a state similar to the Spring and Autumn Period to a Warring States Period where powerful states vied for supremacy.

With the arrival of the Warring States period, the Hexi region was integrated into more than a dozen large or even super-large tribes, and the chaos inexplicably subsided, with wars gradually decreasing.

The tribes began to hesitate, realizing that they could reap the benefits without becoming the prey or the prey.

This led to a situation in the Hexi region where various tribes distrusted and guarded against each other—like a stalk of a wolf, afraid to act rashly.

Under such circumstances, unless a Qin dynasty emerges in Hexi, capable of building upon the legacy of six generations and suppressing all the powerful tribes in Hexi on its own, this inexplicable peace is very likely to continue for a long time.

It's a pity that God did not fulfill his wish.

After the Hexi Corridor descended into the "Spring and Autumn and Warring States" period, almost all the tribes forgot that the chaos in the Hexi Corridor was due to the Xiongnu Chanyu court losing control of the region.

The reason why the Xiongnu Chanyu lost control of Hexi was because the Han people occupied Hetao and Gaoque successively, completely severing the connection between the southern part of the Mu region and the Hexi region.

The Han people did all this not simply to keep the Xiongnu people confined to the north of Gaoque.

—The Han people captured Gaoque not only to ensure the safety of the Hetao region, but also to make it easier to conquer the Hexi region!
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in the Hexi region, the Han people maintained a strategic composure as if they were detached from the events, causing everyone to forget about it.

When the Spring and Autumn Period ended and the Warring States Period began, the various tribes in Hexi finally remembered that in the Hexi region, besides the various feudal lords, there seemed to be a Zhou emperor named Han.

Moreover, unlike the Zhou royal family during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, whose actual influence was constantly declining, this was different.

The Han Dynasty of today is rising from the ruins, standing tall, and about to reach the heavens in its powerful state.

How to do?
What should I do next?
The tribes began to panic, to feel uneasy, and to be filled with anxiety.
Some suggested a united resistance, some decided to surrender secretly, and others suggested learning from the Hunxie tribe, verbally submitting while continuing to be the local tyrants of Hexi.

However, each tribe spoke its own mind, and they were never able to reach a consensus that was acceptable to all parties.

It was after this chaos that the Han army in the Hetao region finally took action again after nearly a year.

— Cheng Bushi, General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Han Dynasty, concurrently Prefect of Shuofang, and Marquis of Bowang, led his personal guard across the Yellow River to the west!
The news reached the various tribes in Hexi in late autumn.

Almost everyone is speculating about what Cheng Bushi's intention is in leading his army westward at this juncture.

Especially what exactly is the Han Chang'an court behind Cheng Bushi trying to achieve?!

Cheng Bushi didn't keep the various tribes in Hexi waiting for long before revealing the answer.

The first step was for Cheng Bushi to go straight to Xiutu Marsh. Under the cautious treatment of the Hunxie tribe, who treated him as if he were facing a formidable enemy, Cheng Bushi refuted the Hunxie King without any mercy: "You have broken your promise and deceived the emperor!"
Subsequently, Cheng Bushi read out the imperial edict: By imperial decree, the 'Han Yiqu Tribe' is newly established in Hexi, and Gongsun Kunxie, Marquis of Pingqu of Han, is appointed as the King of Yiqu!

King Yiqu and his followers have resided in Xiutu Marsh for generations!
Of course, on this trip, Cheng Bushi brought neither the late Prince Gongsun Hunxie, who was granted the title of King of Xiutu, nor the thousands of followers of the so-called 'Yiqu Tribe'.

This imperial edict revealed the Han dynasty's and Emperor Liu Rong's attitude toward Hexi to the tribal leaders of Hexi without reservation.

—If you're going to lower prices, lower them completely!
—If you don't surrender, then we'll have to fight!
No one should ever try to emulate the evil sect again, engaging in this kind of feigned submission while physically rebelling!

With one less path to choose from, the various departments became even more hesitant and indecisive, but were also forced into a corner.

There is no middle way!

Either surrender or fight!
And to fight would most likely mean certain death!
As for the Hunxie tribe, Cheng Bushi did not abandon them entirely. Instead, he gave them a chance to redeem themselves by serving as the Prefect of Shuofang and General of Chariots and Cavalry.

—Before the Xiutu tribe moves to Hexi and takes over Xiutuze, the Hunxie tribe can continue to administer Xiutuze.

From now on, however, the Xiutuze will no longer be open to any Hexi tribe that has not openly surrendered to the Han and has not made any explicit gestures of surrender or submission.

For any 'unsurrendered' tribes that pass through Xiutuze along the way, the Hunxie tribe must ensure that all of them are followed and monitored by troops.

The Han dynasty allowed the Hunxie tribe to launch a full-scale attack on the tribes that attempted to forcibly take over the Xiutu Marsh, and immediately sought help from the Hetao region!
Having completed this step, Cheng Bushi began an action that left the entire Hexi region speechless.

—Inspecting Hexi!
With only a personal guard of less than 10,000 men, plus tens of thousands of Hetao barbarian cavalry, Cheng Bushi dared to inspect Hexi!
The people of Hexi were amazed.

Soon after, the name "Cheng Bubai" spread throughout the entire Hexi region...

(End of this chapter)