History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 167 Troubled Times
Chief Clerk Gou quickly closed the door to stop such talk: "Prefect, I have investigated, and Wei Mao is definitely the biological son of Chief Wei Yi."

"absolute?"

"absolute!!"

“That’s really strange…” Yuan Zhi stopped speaking and focused his mind. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He remembered that there was a connection between Wei Mao and Wei Yin!

It was Wei Yin's daughter, Wei Yao, who studied in the same school as Wei Mao.

Wei Yao is outstanding in poetry, polite and beautiful. Is it possible that Wei Mao admires Wei Yao, but people with the same surname cannot marry, so Wei Mao wants to be someone else's son?
Yuan Zhi continued to speculate that Wei Mao was too young and had oversimplified the matter of adoption. If he were adopted into a better family, it would be even more difficult for him to marry Wei Yao. If he were adopted into a poor family, Wei Yi would probably kill the unfilial son himself rather than let him have his way.

Even if we assume that Wei Mao is willing to become someone else's son, can he really marry into the Wei Yin family, who are considered beneficiaries of the family?
However, if Wei Mao were to give him Yuan Zhi as a patron, apart from persuading Wei Yi, all other issues would be irrelevant! He was willing to become in-laws with General Zhao's family, and he didn't care about any special favors or protection.

"Prefect?"

"Prefect?"

Clerk Gou waved his hand rapidly in front of the official, and Yuan Zhi finally came to his senses.

“Hmm. Where were we? Haha, I remember now. Immediately issue a document to requisition hunting dogs. Starting tonight, all night patrol soldiers will be equipped with hunting dogs. Anyone who does not return home at night will be arrested! Those who are found to be innocent after interrogation will be sent to the pasture south of the city to collect horse manure.”

"Also, on the first day of the month, draft the joint examination questions for August and send them to the various schools for the directors and teachers to copy. Wei Yin does not need to be involved in this matter."

After giving his instructions, Yuan Zhi left, humming a little tune.

July 30th.

Emperor Xiao Luan of the Xiao Qi dynasty died, and his son, Crown Prince Xiao Baojuan, succeeded him.

Pengcheng King Yuan Xie, who was stationed in Fancheng, sent urgent reports to Luoyang, asking if it was possible to take Fancheng at this time and push the main camp of the army southeast to Tongbo Mountain.
Another urgent report came from the border of Luoyang, north of the capital, that Xiao Qi had invited Deng Xue to surrender to Wei and offer up Qixing County. In a single day, the people of Qixing County who resisted were killed, and those who surrendered were all taken prisoner. The cries of despair filled the land. What awaited them was either being sent to the northern barbarian garrisons as laborers or being sent to the Xi government offices to become slaves.

August of the twenty-second year of the Taihe era was truly a turbulent time.

At the same time, the Gaoche people living in the northern border of the Great Wei, disobeying the imperial court's orders and fearing the long journey to the Yiyang battlefield, rose up in rebellion against the court, led by the Yuan He clan. The six garrisons of Woye, Huaishuo, Wuchuan, Fuming, Rouxuan, and Huaihuang were all preoccupied with their own affairs and simultaneously sent urgent military reports to Luoyang, requesting the court to send reinforcements to suppress this large-scale rebellion of the Gaoche people.

The surrounding provinces of Xiazhou, Shuozhou, Hengzhou, and Yanzhou, which are adjacent to the Six Garrisons, have all entered the highest level of defense.

"One wave subsides only for another to rise." Yuan Zhi was so worried that his temples were turning gray. The relatives of the missing people were blocking the government office demanding an explanation. As the governor of a prefecture, he could only suspend the operation to capture the bandits in Luoyang, transfer the main force to the north of Hengzhou, and strengthen the defense of Pingcheng with the rest to prevent the Gaoche rebels from massacring the people in the northern border.

Inside Cui Xueguan.

After finishing his lesson, the teacher informed the students that due to the Gaoche tribe's rebellion, the planned Cuju (ancient Chinese football) practice for the government troops in the middle of the month had been canceled, as had all the poetry recitation activities at the various schools.

Long after the Master left, the students continued to discuss the Gaoche rebellion.

"It can't be a small riot!" "Which town do most of the Kaoche people live in?"

“I don’t know either. Fellow disciple Cui Zhi, do you know? Tell us about it.”

Wei Yao's understanding of the Gaoche tribe came not only from what Xi Jiao had told her in her previous life, but also from what she had learned from various sources later. She didn't bother organizing her notes yet; she wanted to hear what Cui Zhi had to say.

She moved aside and Erzhu Rong squeezed in to sit next to her. Because of losing his baby teeth, the mischievous child no longer laughed loudly, and his pursed lips made him look quite well-behaved at first glance.

Cui Zhi: "The Gaoche people we occasionally mention are only a small part of those who migrated to the Six Towns. In addition to the Huli clan that we are familiar with, there are also the Dili clan, Yuanhe clan, Jiepi clan, Hugu clan, and Qiyijin clan, collectively known as the Six Gaoche Clans."

"The Gaoche tribe has twelve other surnames. The leader of this rebellion belongs to the Yuanhe clan and is called Yuan Heshu. As for which town has the most Gaoche people..." Cui Zhi shook his head, "It's hard to calculate. Because the Gaoche people are different from the Xianbei and our Han people. The Gaoche people's life has always been about riding in high carts, following the water and grass, and raising livestock. Only during major events such as sacrifices to heaven will they gather thousands of people to ride horses and slaughter animals."

Everyone was surprised, and Cui Shang, quick to speak, immediately exclaimed in horror: "Ah? Ten thousand people? There are so many Gaoche people in the six towns!"

Amidst their whispers, someone continued to ask Cui Zhi, "Will the Gaoche people attack our Pingcheng?"

Cui Zhi: "It's hard to say. Fellow disciple Yao, what do you think?"

Even today, Wei Yao's views on current affairs are sufficient to guide the thinking of his fellow students at the Xunyi Academy.

Behind her, Xi Jiao looked at her slender back, straight as bamboo, and his thoughts drifted to the time when he first met her, then quickly returned to her, listening attentively to her explanation.

"I think that since the Gaoche rebels are afraid of being conscripted by the court, it is unlikely that they will form a large army to attack our Pingcheng in the short term. I make this inference because the Gaoche people are not good at forming battle formations and fighting in a stalemate."

What Wei Yao is saying now is based on her experience from two lifetimes, and she is thinking and analyzing on the spot. After all, Xi Jiao is from a different clan of the imperial family, and he was young at that time, so he didn't know much about this military situation. "However, the reason why the Gaoche people are not good at uniting is that they are all fierce and savage. As a result, it is likely that the rebels will engage in small-scale acts of violence against the people in the territory."

"Furthermore, the Gaoche people themselves are already displaced and certainly wouldn't carry prisoners to slow down their journey. So what about the residents of the places they've harassed..." Seeing her fellow disciples either expressing righteous indignation or feeling disheartened that they were too young to serve the court, Wei Yao changed her tone and said enthusiastically, "Do you all remember the first thing Senior Brother Cui Zhi said just now?"

Erzhu Rong said urgently, "I remember, I remember. Senior Brother said that the Gaoche people we are talking about now are only a small part of those who have moved to the Six Towns."

Wei Yao's voice rose even higher: "That's right! These Gaoche people didn't come to the Six Garrisons voluntarily back then. They were chased here like cattle by our Xianbei warriors! The ancestors of the rebels couldn't defeat our ancestors, and the current Gaoche rebels can't possibly defeat our Great Wei's regular army! The only thing the rebels rely on is that they roam around like loose sand, making it difficult for the imperial army to find and wipe them out one by one!"

Guo Yun raised his arm and shouted: "The rebels are nothing to fear!"

Kong Mi stood up excitedly: "Although we don't know martial arts, we can still help the government."

Cui Shang: "What good ideas do you have? Tell me quickly."

Kong Mi: "If the people in the city are in a state of panic, we should tell our friends and trusted servants what Wei Yao said to boost morale. The word will spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and inspire all the people. Only when the people trust the court will those unscrupulous merchants who want to take advantage of the war to raise grain prices not succeed."

Cui Zhiwei summarized the discussion as follows: "Only when the people's hearts are stable can the military's morale be stable."

(End of this chapter)