Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 571 No Human Rights
At the Chanhepi camp, Black Bear inspected the condition of the wounded soldiers' camp and then came to the parade ground for inspection.

A new batch of wounded soldiers recovered and began to reorganize.

They were classified according to the severity of their injuries, and those with wounds on the front were incorporated into the combat soldiers and awarded the rank of private second class.

As for those whose injuries were on the back, they were incorporated into the auxiliary troops and were only given the lowest rank of private.

After the reorganization ceremony, Black Bear led more than a hundred cavalrymen out of Gaoliu Pass.

Gaoliusai is not a barrier, but a general name for several large exits from the pass.

At Shahukou, when he arrived, a migrating group was slowly trekking northward and disappeared around the corner of the mountain bay.

Black Bear dismounted, and Liu Bao also quickly dismounted, took the folding stool from his harness, walked forward, pulled it open, and placed it on the ground to hold it steady.

The black bear sat down calmly. The autumn wind was dry and the only sounds nearby were the occasional snorting of horses and the sound of flags.

Looking into the distance, he saw lush vegetation, which was very different from his stereotype of desert Gobi.

In his impression, there were no forests outside the city in all dynasties before the founding of the country because of the deforestation caused by population growth.

In autumn, everything outside the city is bare... Not to mention the straw from the fields, even the weeds will be cut down to feed livestock in the winter or as fuel.

After observing for a while, Black Bear said to Liu Bao: "I have given Liu Xuande the order to conquer Liaodong, but Gongsun clan sent envoys to surrender. What should I do?"

Liu Bao felt that he was being made the bad guy. He was not afraid of Liu Bei, so he said immediately: "The Grand Marshal is a man of great virtue and power. He is admired by all quarters and no one dares to disobey him. In my humble opinion, the Gongsun clan is not worth worrying about. Liu Xuande is a hero in the country. It would be better for him to stay in Liaoxi. Liaoxi is poor and difficult to support his army. If his followers disperse a little, we can retreat to control Liaodong and advance to attack Yuan Shang from both sides."

After a pause, Liu Bao squatted down and looked up at the black bear: "If Liu Xuande is allowed to go to Liaodong, there will be great harm due to the natural barrier of Liaoze."

"Did you accept money from Gongsun Gong?"

"I dare not. Only a few Koreans participated in the sable fur. This is a gift from Gongsun Gong. How can I refuse it?"

Liu Bao smiled awkwardly and continued, "This little bit of money is not enough to buy off my prince. My prince sincerely cares about the Grand Marshal and dares not harbor any second thoughts. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this."

"I believe you, and I think your judgment is reasonable."

Black Bear took out a persimmon from his bosom and handed it to Liu Bao. He then took out another one, wiped it, and took a bite. He continued, "I have already promised Liu Xuande, and I cannot break my promise. I also know that the Liaoze is difficult for a large army to pass through, but I am more worried about the Dongyi countries. Now the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, and other Qiang peoples in the country have all submitted to the king, except for the Nanman, Jingman, and Baiyue."

"I didn't conquer Liaodong after all, and my soldiers never set foot there, so why not give it to Liu Xuande? In the future, I can give him the throne to inherit the Han Dynasty. Don't underestimate my tolerance. It's a good thing for him to fight against the Dongyi for me and become the head of the Eastern Region of the country."

As he looked at Liu Bao eating persimmons, Black Bear suddenly asked, "Are these persimmons sweet?"

"It's delicious."

"nice! You love it."

Black Bear smiled and said, "I didn't meet Gongsun Gong because I didn't want to make things difficult for him. You tell Gongsun Kang that as long as he offers Liaodong, his two brothers will be granted the title of nobility in the future. Otherwise, even if Liu Xuande's advance is not smooth, I will personally lead the royal army to annihilate the Gongsun clan."

"Yes, Xiao Wang will definitely give good advice."

Liu Bao ate the persimmon carefully and said, "When the Grand Marshal was fighting the rebels in Youzhou and Jizhou, Budugen had close contact with Kebineng. Although he did not gather his troops, he also had the intention of waiting to see the outcome. It can be seen that his heart is not sincere. I hope the Grand Marshal will understand."

"He is not worth your attention. In my opinion, ten Budugens are not as good as one Kebinen."

After eating the persimmon, Black Bear wiped his palms with a handkerchief and looked down at his hands: "I have fought all over the world, and only this man escaped unscathed from my front. People like him are like Cao Cao, and this is what worries me."

"Yes, my king understands. If Kebineng goes out of the border to roam, we will conquer him and drive him out next year."

"That's not what I meant. I hope you can send caravans to interact with the tribes in Mobei to find out their true strengths and weaknesses. If China is not at peace, you and I can join forces to wipe out the tribes. After all, there are limited good pastures in Mobei and Monan. If they occupy more, you will have less."

Black Bear handed the handkerchief to Liu Bao, who quickly took it and wiped his hands. He did not dare to express his opinion casually, and then he heard Black Bear say: "In my plan, Liu Xuande is the Eastern Earl, and you are the Northern Earl."

As for the Xianbei King Budugen, Black Bear did not say how to arrange it.

Liu Bao looked excited and folded his handkerchief: "Yes, the Grand Marshal's support and trust will be forever forgotten by my clan."

Black Bear just smiled and patted Liu Bao on the shoulder, and said: "The Qiang fled to the Western Regions, and the countries are weak and no match for them. There are also epidemics, which are not conducive to the army's expedition. You also know that it is difficult for me to have nothing to do. There are only the Mobei tribes left in the north, so I must pay some attention to this matter." "Yes, my king understands."

"Well, the Right Wise King is my brother-in-law after all, and he is also strong-willed and aggressive. If there is any dispute between you two, you should bear it. But if it involves the escape of the tribesmen or the annexation of each other, you should report it to the shogunate, and the shogunate will make a fair judgment and will not let you be humiliated."

Black Bear continued to encourage Liu Bao, lest Liu Bao retreat again and again and allow Ma Chao to become the king of the Xiongnu.

The Xiongnu tribes are very practical. Ma Chao is more brave and has his own relationship. They might really abandon Liu Bao, who is weak and cowardly, and turn to the strong Ma Chao.

Ma Chao did not participate in this battle, and he must have been unhappy.

It was inevitable to find trouble with neighbor Liu Bao. Black Bear was really worried that Liu Bao would be too cautious, which would lead to the loss of cohesion among his troops and lead to Ma Chao's sudden attack and beheading him.

Does Ma Chao dare to kill Liu Bao?

Black Bear believed that if given the chance, Ma Chao would dare to do so.

Having lived in the frontier for a long time, Ma Chao, who had a wild temperament, had become acquainted with the nobles of various Xiongnu tribes. It was possible that this group of people who had no idea what moral integrity was might really defect to Ma Chao.

In the eyes of these people, perhaps supporting Ma Chao as the Chanyu could please them.

Ma Chao had even been the Right Wise King, so there was no psychological or legal obstacle for him to try his hand at being the Chanyu.

There was also public opinion within the shogunate and Guanlong... There was really no resistance to Ma Chao killing Liu Bao and becoming the Chanyu.

Especially after this battle completely destroyed the core of the Xianbei and Wuhuan in the east, the human rights of the various Hu leaders in the mainland were even lower.

Just like Liu Bao, in the eyes of the shogunate and Guanlong officials, this Xiongnu Chanyu was no longer a human being.

Ma Chao's replacement was seen by most people as just a topic of conversation and a blessing.

After comforting Liu Bao, no matter how grateful this man was, Black Bear got on his horse after resting enough and led the cavalry eastward to find Ma Teng.

Ma Teng's position as General Du Liao also needs to be adjusted. Liu Bei is already a general with a miscellaneous title, so it is not a big deal to have another general with an important title and a government office.

Guan Yu blocked Juyongkou, and Ma Teng almost wiped out the subsequent Wuhuan troops.

With such great achievements, it is reasonable for him to be promoted.

It is also the most reassuring to let the father-in-law come to guard the land.

As for Gongsun Gong, who stayed in Datong City, he was left to Liu Bao to deal with.

We must not let the Gongsun clan get the wrong signal, otherwise they will really think that I am instigating them to fight against Liu Bei and organize some dog fighting competition.

As for whether Liu Bao would deliberately mislead Gongsun Gong...there is really no need to worry about this.

If Fa Zheng were to do it, he would definitely resort to some tricks.

Traditional scholars like Fa Zheng seemed to have a strong instinct to guard against their own people, and would always think about balancing their allies and subordinates.

It’s a bit like raising a dog. A good dog is one that is not well fed and goes hungry.

Not to mention Liu Bei, Ma Teng and Ma Chao, father and son, had the same status in the eyes of Fa Zheng and other core officials of the shogunate.

Having experienced the chaos in the world, these people have a deep-rooted hostility and vigilance towards the old warlords.

He would rather earn less and spend more effort than let people like Liu Bei and Ma Teng become stronger.

In their eyes, instigating Gongsun to fight Liu Bei to the death was the most important thing that was in line with the long-term interests of the shogunate.

A little bit of moral integrity and one's own punishment are bearable for these people.

At this time, only Liu Bao could convey his feelings completely to Gongsun.

(End of this chapter)