With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Pang Tong instigated Liu Bei to seize Xichuan, and Fa Zheng, Meng Da, and Zhang Song were also restless elements, later known as the Three Scoundrels of Xichuan.

As for Sima Yi, he had previously feigned illness to deceive Cao Cao, and was severely punished by Liu Xie.

They all remained silent, but they all understood that they were not like others who had the chance to make mistakes and correct them.

These people all have serious criminal records.

Liu Xie asked, "Kebineng's envoy has made his attitude very clear. What do you think?"

Pang Tong glanced at the others and said, "Your Majesty, since Ke Bi Neng has taken the initiative to make amends, why not agree to his request for now and deal with him after we have dealt with the Western Xianbei?"

Fa Zheng squinted, his fingers moving nimbly; he seemed to enjoy the feeling of solving a problem.

He's not afraid of problems, he's afraid of problems that aren't challenging. Fazheng is inherently fond of excitement and challenges.

Sima Yi was very quiet and rarely took the initiative to show off, making it easy for people to overlook his presence.

Liu Xie's gaze occasionally swept across the faces of these three people, and he found them all to be quite interesting.

Pang Tong was very direct and quite active.

Fa Zhengze is like a cunning fox; at first glance, you always feel that he is scheming against others.

Sima Yi, on the other hand, remained as still as air, unfathomable, and it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

Fa Zheng spoke second, "Your Majesty, since Ke Bineng has taken the initiative to show goodwill, we should accept his sincerity and let Ke Bineng be our vanguard to deal with the remnants of Kui Tou's forces."

"What a brilliant move to use someone's strength against them," Liu Xie nodded in approval.

Pang Tong frowned. "Your Majesty, while this approach is certainly effective, Kebineng is no fool. He will inevitably feel dissatisfied and resentful, which may even force him to rebel."

Fa Zheng laughed and retorted, "It would be even better if they rebelled. His Majesty's heavenly army has already arrived, so we can take the opportunity to eliminate them as well."

Pang Tong's and Fa Zheng's methods were both good. Liu Xie had tens of thousands of troops under his command, and he didn't expect Ke Bi to provide much support at all.

Whether Ke Bi sends troops or not, Liu Xie can easily handle the situation.

Seeing that Sima Yi remained silent, Liu Xie turned his gaze to him and asked, "Zhongda, what is your opinion?"

Sima Yi considered for a moment and then slowly said, "Actually, even if we ignore Kebineng, we can still defeat all the Xianbei people. But defeating them is easy, while subjugating them is difficult. We should not only show our determination to conquer the disobedient, but also appease them appropriately."

"Your Majesty spared no one from the invading Kui Tou's forces, killing them all. The Xianbei people have already seen your determination and methods. I think we can accept Ke Bineng's goodwill, but it's not enough for him to just show goodwill. He must submit to Your Majesty. After we defeat the Xianbei in the west and east, we should pay more attention to Ke Bineng to prevent him from changing his mind and betraying us in the future."

Liu Xie nodded, then looked at the others, "What do you all think?"

Pang Tong nodded and couldn't help but glance at Sima Yi a few more times. He hadn't expected that this usually quiet young man would have such profound insights; he was truly not to be underestimated.

Fa Zheng was also convinced, "The key to success is to balance tension and relaxation. Punish one and appease the other. Zhongda was indeed more thoughtful."

"Alright, it's decided then." Liu Xie stood up and made the final decision.

The next day, Liu Xie met with Kebineng's envoy again, comforted him with kind words, and then said to him: "Go back and tell Kebineng that he must submit to the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, sending someone to say a few nice words is not sincere at all."

The envoy agreed and immediately returned to Kebineng's residence.

On the vast grassland, Kebineng led a group of people, galloping on horseback. Their horses flew like the wind, kicking up clouds of dust. They shouted loudly, like a pack of majestic wolves.

Upon seeing the envoy return, Kebineng stopped his mount, squinted, and asked, "How did things go?"

Kebineng was tall and strong, and his face looked as if it had been sculpted by wind and sand, with hard and sharp lines.

His thick eyebrows were like swords, slanting into his temples; his eyes were as deep as the sea, sometimes flashing with wisdom; his high, straight nose was like a mountain range, showing his perseverance and indomitable spirit.

The envoy reported the truth. Upon hearing this, Kebineng's thick eyebrows furrowed, he snorted coldly, jumped off his horse, and said, "You want me to submit? The Emperor of Han is really not easy to fool."

"I thought we should appease him first and prevent the court from turning its attention to us. After all, we are too weak right now and cannot stand up to the Han court."

Before long, his younger brother, Juluohou, also rode up to him. Compared to Kebineng's imposing and robust appearance, Juluohou was rather fair-skinned and thin.

"Brother, how do you intend to reply to the Emperor of Han?"

Kebineng's eyes darted around a few times, then he sighed and said somewhat unwillingly, "There's nothing we can do but agree to him for now. The imperial army is pressing in. Even if we gathered all the Xianbei forces together, let alone us, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to resist them."

“That makes sense,” Marquis Juluo nodded.

Kebineng readily agreed, and Liu Xie immediately rewarded him by bestowing upon him the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness.

During the Cao Wei period, he was granted the title of Prince Fuyi.

Liu Xie would not bestow the title of king upon just anyone.

Pang Tong still felt the reward was too lenient and advised, "Your Majesty, you should bestow upon him a royal title. This is how the court has always appeased foreign tribes in the past."

Liu Xie shook his head and sneered, "Shiyuan, you said it yourself, that was in the past. A mere tribal chief with only a tiny territory, yet he wanted me to bestow upon him the title of king? He was worthy!"

Liu Xie's expression was very serious. "The past is the past, and the present is the present. Cao Cao, Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Zhang Liao... I have so many capable and fierce generals around me. Which one of them has less merit than Kebineng? But when have I ever granted them the title of king? You should know that it was he who submitted to me and to the Han Dynasty. I didn't beg him. Can he bear the title of king?"

"this?"

Liu Xie's righteous and eloquent words left Pang Tong speechless.

Lu Bu snorted, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Giving him a marquisate is already an honor. If he is not satisfied, we will destroy him!"

Guan Yu's eyebrows furrowed, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Liu Xie stood up. "Who is the ruler, who is the subject, who is the master, who is the servant—this relationship must be made clear to them. Kebineng should feel fortunate and grateful to me for giving him the opportunity to submit today!"

"Issue my order: we will set out on the expedition tomorrow."

Having been here for over a month, Liu Xie was not here for sightseeing.

The next day, except for Pang Tong who stayed behind to oversee the repair work at Yanmen Pass, Liu Xie personally led 30,000 troops and left Yanmen Pass.

Along the way, scouts rushed back and forth, constantly searching for the whereabouts of Budugen and his men. Soon, they located the Xianbei royal court.

The army charged straight ahead, with Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and others each leading a force to launch an attack from all directions.

However, when they arrived at their destination, they found it empty. Apart from some elderly, weak, women and children, Budugen's men had already left.

When Liu Xie arrived, he was greatly disappointed by the scene. Fa Zheng walked around the area and questioned several of the captured Xianbei people. Then he came to Liu Xie's side and said, "Your Majesty, they left two days ago. They are a nomadic people. It is their custom to plunder on horseback and set up camp on dismount."

Looking into the distance, all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white. The land beyond the Great Wall was boundless and limitless, making it all too easy for these nomadic peoples to escape and avoid disaster.

Liu Xie looked around and asked, "Is there any way to deal with this? Are we just going to let them escape like this?"

Fa Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Although it's quite tricky, it's not like there's no way to solve it."

"Tell me."

Liu Xie had great confidence in the abilities of Fa Zheng and his associates.

Just based on their names, they will never disappoint you.

Fa Zheng bent down, picked up a twig, squatted down, and drew a circle.

"Your Majesty, take our current location as the center and disperse the cavalry into groups of one hundred men each. Each group must maintain contact with the neighboring groups without interruption. Once the enemy is spotted, a signal must be given immediately by setting fire. The surrounding groups must rush over immediately. No group should engage the enemy alone, lest we be outnumbered and wiped out by the enemy."

Sima Yi was also greatly impressed and couldn't help but glance at Fa Zheng a few more times.

Fa Zheng, somewhat smug and confident, said, "No matter how cunning they are, we will find their tracks sooner or later."

This is absolutely true. Following Fazheng's method, the troops would spread out in all directions, and no matter which direction the enemy appeared from, they would be discovered.

Liu Xie's forces were mostly cavalry, and cavalry would never lose track of their men in the borderlands; their speed advantage was no less than that of the Xianbei.

Liu Xie readily agreed, "Okay, let's do it this way!"

When Fazheng saw that his idea had been adopted by the emperor, he smiled. This was a feeling he had never experienced in all the years he had lived in Xichuan.

Fa Zheng added, "It would be best to send a general to command each position. This way, even if a sudden enemy situation occurs and the main force has not arrived to provide support, there will still be someone to stabilize morale."

Liu Xie readily agreed, “In that case, Fengxian will go to the east, Yunchang to the west, Zilong to the north, and Yide to the south. Remember, as long as the enemy’s numbers exceed yours, there’s no need to linger in battle. Just keep an eye on the enemy and hold them fast until reinforcements arrive, then we can launch a joint attack.”

"Here!"

Lu Bu and the others responded in unison, and then each led their troops away, with cavalrymen in groups of a hundred, quickly dispersing in all directions.

It's like casting a large net; no matter where the enemy appears, the net is big enough to catch the fish sooner or later.

The team was dispatched, and Liu Xie and Fa Zheng followed at a leisurely pace, riding their horses along the way while Liu Xie pondered his next move.

Fa Zheng was quite lively. Seeing the emperor's worried expression, he quickly came over and asked, "Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?"

"Xiaozhi, I am not worried about the outcome of the campaign against the Xianbei, but as you have seen, they are a nomadic people who come and go in a hurry. I'm afraid it won't be easy to manage them in the future."

Fa Zheng nodded. "Your Majesty's thinking is profound, and I greatly admire it. Indeed, it is so. For thousands of years, no matter how we have conquered foreign tribes, it has always been a cycle of conflict, and there has never been a way to achieve a permanent solution. When we win, they submit, but after a period of time, they become restless again, especially when there is internal turmoil and unrest in the Central Plains, when foreign tribes become even more eager to make trouble."

Even a top talent like Fa Zheng was at a loss. "In fact, every time the court sent troops to attack them in the past, it went to great lengths, often mobilizing tens of thousands of troops. The consumption of food and supplies, and the casualties of soldiers and horses, each time cost an astonishing amount."

Liu Xie sighed, "This problem must be solved, otherwise, even after I withdraw my troops, the borderlands will still be a hidden danger."

After dark, the group found a place with a water source and set up camp. The surrounding area was lush with vegetation, and there were traces of the Xianbei people's campsites on the ground. Liu Xie walked along the river for a while, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Before long, Fa Zheng and the others were summoned over. Someone brought out stools, and everyone sat together.

A stool, also known as a folding stool, is a simple item that costs very little, but the convenience it provides is obvious.

"Do you see? Whether it's nomadic peoples or us Central Plains peoples, the places where they live cannot do without water. And nomadic peoples can not only do without water, but also without grass."

Liu Xie also drew a circle on the ground, "The borderlands are vast, even larger than the Central Plains, but..."

After a pause, Liu Xie drew one small circle after another inside the circle. "Every time the Xianbei set up camp, they cannot do without water and grassland. And there are not many places that have both of these. As long as we send people to build fortified villages in places with water and grassland in the future to monitor and manage them, no matter what they do or what abnormalities they have, the situation can be reported to the court in a timely manner."

After hearing Liu Xie's explanation, everyone's faces showed admiration.

Fa Zheng slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! Although their habitats are constantly changing, the places suitable for grazing are fixed."

Liu Xie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "After the Xianbei are pacified, we will immediately send people to mark all the suitable places for grazing, and then send people to garrison them, so that the flags of the Han people will forever fly over the border."

Soon, a light appeared in the northwest. Although the light was not very bright, everyone's faces lit up with joy. Fa Zheng laughed and said, "We must have discovered the enemy."

The group that discovered the enemy's presence was led by Ma Xiu, Ma Chao's brother. In recent years, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie had grown up and were no longer content to stay by Ma Teng's side, so they came to Liu Xie's side.

The camp that Ma Xiu discovered had tens of thousands of Xianbei people, densely packed together, with many tents built.

Matthew had barely lit the fire to signal when it was spotted, as the flash was too conspicuous. (End of Chapter)