The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 503 Grassland Tribes
The Tang Dynasty replaced the Han Dynasty, and the history of the Central Plains opened a new page. Today, except for the South and Liaodong where military operations are being carried out, the Central Plains has begun to recuperate.

After all, the Central Plains has never been stable since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. From Liangzhou to Bingzhou, and then to the Yellow Turban Rebellion and warlord separatism to the present, it has been nearly a hundred years.

Now that Emperor Zhaowu has unified the country, stability has gradually returned to the Central Plains. Perhaps ten years or even dozens of years later, the strength of the Central Plains will grow again.

In contrast to the Central Plains, the major forces on the grasslands appeared in chaos.

The Xianbei tribes, including the Kebi Neng, Murong, Duan, Tuoba, and Yuwen tribes, as well as the remnant tribes of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan, were all led by greedy people who had accepted bribes from Zhuge Liang and sent troops to the Central Plains to harass the northern border.

Of course, money is one aspect, but more important is interests. These grassland tribes do not want the Central Plains to restore stability. Once the Central Plains achieves unification, they will definitely invade the grasslands, which is what they do not want to see.

Therefore, when Qin Shou was on a southern expedition, he frequently harassed the northern border. Although Xu Huang was brave, he only had a large army to conquer the north and was unable to defend the entire northern border.

As a result, there has been unrest in northern Xinjiang for several years.

However, Kebinen and others did not expect that Qin Shou's attack speed was so fast. The Central Plains quickly regained its unification, and it was now Kebinen and others' turn to suffer.

They were worried about retaliation from the Central Plains, especially Kebineng. He had seen the might of the Cavalry Army and knew that his own troops were no match for them.

The choice before these people is whether to fight or surrender.

Ke Bineng summoned all the tribes to the Golden Tent. Outside the tent, the north wind howled like a knife. He stroked the bronze wine jar he had robbed and said in a deep voice, "When the Han cavalry broke through Jingzhou, we were still snatching grass from the pasture."

Upon hearing this, the envoy of the Murong tribe in the tent spilled most of the kumis in his hand. Three days ago, scouts reported that the Tang army had built five new beacon towers in the northern border, each of which was garrisoned with heavy troops.

"Now that Qin Shou has unified the Central Plains, he will march north to attack us at any time. What are we doing? We are still fighting each other. Are we his opponents?"

Ke Bineng glanced at everyone, his eyes full of anger.

The young leader of the Yuwen tribe slammed the table and stood up: "Instead of waiting for the Tang army to come and suppress us, it is better to unite the 300,000 soldiers of various tribes."

Before he finished speaking, the elderly Duan interrupted with a sneer: "Three hundred thousand? The cattle and sheep that died of the white disaster last year haven't been counted yet? Are we a match for the Tang Dynasty?"

The tallow lamp in the golden tent was flickering due to the cold wind. The left commander of the Tuoba tribe suddenly pulled out a roll of sheepskin from his fur coat and slowly unfolded it on the table.

On the sheepskin was a topographical map of northern Xinjiang drawn with charcoal, with five newly built beacon towers nailed like wedges into the traditional pastures of the Xianbei tribes.

"The Tang Dynasty established military farms at the southern foot of the Yin Mountains."

The Tuoba envoy ran his fingertips across the densely packed squares on the map and said, "Each beacon tower is manned by two thousand Black Armored Soldiers. Their armored cavalry can rush to the support of any stronghold within half a day." There was still dried blood on a certain part of the parchment scroll - this was the intelligence they obtained three days ago at the cost of seventeen elite scouts.

Ke Bineng rapped his knuckles heavily on the sheepskin map, causing ripples in the mare's milk in the bronze wine jar. He snorted coldly: "Do you know how many war horses the Tang Dynasty has raised in Bingzhou?"

He suddenly grabbed a charcoal pencil and drew a ferocious wolf head at the location of Yunzhong County.

"Last winter, their horse farm expanded three times, and they used grass seeds from the southern foothills of the Helan Mountains!" Ke Bineng continued, with a hint of shame in his voice.

The envoy of the Murong tribe took a deep breath, and the ruby-studded scimitar on his waist hit the table. Three months ago, a caravan did go south with improved grass seeds. At that time, they laughed at the Han people for stealing grass. They also got a lot of gold. Now it seems that they are the real fools!
The atmosphere in the golden tent became increasingly solemn, and the crackling sparks in the charcoal brazier seemed to reflect the uneasy mood of the people. The young leader of the Yuwen tribe clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, but he didn't say anything after all.

The left commander of the Tuoba tribe suddenly smiled sinisterly and said, "Do you still remember the Huns during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han? The Tang Dynasty today is more terrifying than the Han Dynasty back then." His skinny fingers ran across the northern desert on the sheepskin map.

"Yes, because they have a powerful emperor, an emperor who is invincible on the battlefield. He will personally lead the army to conquer Mobei." Kebineng showed a trace of worry on his face.

The neighing of war horses outside the tent seemed to echo these words. A trace of fear flashed across Elder Duan's cloudy eyes. He remembered the Tang scouts he had seen last winter. Even the horseshoes of those knights flashed coldly, and they rolled over the snowy plains like moving iron towers.

"It doesn't matter if Liu Bei sent someone to contact us. Even if there is no Liu Bei, our enemy is the Central Plains. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will not let us go. They didn't have time before, but now they have enough time and opportunities." Ke Bineng continued.

As soon as Kebineng finished speaking, there was a dead silence in the golden tent, with only the occasional crackling of charcoal fire. Everyone's eyes were focused on the blood-stained sheepskin map, as if they had already seen the scene of the Tang Dynasty's iron cavalry trampling across the grassland.

The air in the golden tent seemed to freeze. Kebineng's words were like a sharp scimitar, splitting the last bit of hope in the hearts of the leaders. The north wind outside the tent whistled and rolled up the snow, hitting the cowhide tent, making a dull sound.

"Everyone," Kebineng stood up, his tall figure casting a huge shadow under the light of the oil lamp. He looked grim and said to everyone, "We Xianbei people used to roam freely like wolves on the grassland. But now, the Han people in the south have built beacons and occupied our pastures. The sound of their horses' hooves is approaching our tents!"

The young Murong Ke, the envoy of the Murong tribe, clenched his fists. The ruby-encrusted scimitar on his waist shone red in the firelight. He said coldly, "Lord Kebineng is right. My father often said when he was alive that the Han people's city walls are not for defense, but for enclosure. If they build a beacon tower today, they will build ten tomorrow!"

There was a slight tremor in his voice, which showed his fear of Zhongyuan.

The old elder of the Duan tribe coughed a few times, and his cloudy eyes swept over everyone present, saying disdainfully: "Unite? We Xianbei tribes have been fighting each other for decades, and our blood feuds are more numerous than the grass on the grassland. Now you want to unite?"

"That's why!" Tuoba Jian, the left commander of the Tuoba tribe, slammed the table, splashing the kumis on the table, and shouted angrily: "What is the result of us killing each other? It allows the people of the Central Plains to defeat us one by one! Have you forgotten the fate of the Xiongnu?"

The Golden Tent fell silent again. The Xiongnu, a powerful nation that once ruled the grasslands, now had only a few scattered tribes left, which was the result of the Han Dynasty's division and disintegration.

(End of this chapter)