I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 349 Inspection of the Southern Xiongnu

Yuan Shu came to find Lü Bu this time because he had a task to give him.

He wanted to entrust the task of forming a special cavalry unit belonging to the Tianxiong Army to Lü Bu. He wanted to select the strongest and most elite cavalry from the entire army to form a special cavalry unit, which would be the key force for charging into battle, and let Lü Bu lead it.

He believed that it would be a waste of Lü Bu's talents if such a rare cavalry general could not lead a cavalry force to fight in the way he was best at.

If Lü Bu could command a cavalry unit, once deployed on a fiercely contested battlefield, he could absolutely become a key figure in changing the course of the war.

Therefore, Yuan Shu told Lü Bu his thoughts and expressed his deep expectations for Lü Bu.

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu was so excited that he was speechless. He wished he could cut open his belly and lay his heart and lungs in front of Yuan Shu, so that Yuan Shu could see that his body was overflowing with gratitude and loyalty to Yuan Shu.

Of course, even if he could do that, Yuan Shu wouldn't let him.

It would be a great pity to let such a rare and fierce man die at the White Gate Tower if he couldn't be sent to the battlefield to wreak havoc on the enemy.

During his inspection of the Xihe Horse Ranch, Yuan Shu not only visited Lü Bu but also made a special trip to see General Zhang Quan, who was in charge of crossing the Liao River.

Zhang Quan was from Youzhou and had fought his way up on the Liangzhou battlefield in his early years. He was quite capable in military strategy and, during his time commanding the Duliao Camp stationed in Bingzhou, he effectively supervised the Southern Xiongnu.

Even Dong Zhuo praised this point.

However, Yuan Shu always had a negative view of the Duliao Camp because its main source of soldiers was criminals.

According to the regulations of the Eastern Han Dynasty, young men who committed crimes and needed to be exiled would be assigned to the Duliao Camp to serve as soldiers, becoming the main source of soldiers for the Duliao Camp.

Such people might fight to the death to atone for their sins, but the discipline and military conduct of the entire army are predictable. As a result, the Duliao Battalion might win battles, but it would be difficult to be of any use once it encountered setbacks.

Therefore, when Yuan Shu was recruiting new soldiers, he specially arranged for a thousand new soldiers recruited from Bingzhou to be added to the Duliao Camp. At the same time, he selected out the thousand people with the most serious crimes in the Duliao Camp and replaced them. He threw these people to the road construction site and ordered them to do hard labor to atone for their sins.

Yuan Shu was extremely averse to the idea of ​​convicts being sent to the army, believing it to be a grave mistake that would severely undermine the army's sense of honor and make it more difficult to strengthen military discipline. Therefore, he submitted a memorial to the court, suggesting that the court stop sending criminals to the Duliao Camp.

He believed that serious criminals should not be assigned to the army, as the army exists to protect the country and should not be filled by a group of serious criminals. He also proposed to take some time to replace all the soldiers in the Duliao Battalion.

For Yuan Feng, this was of course not an important matter, so he readily approved it, and the court subsequently revised its strategy.

Later, Yuan Shu also announced that some soldiers of the Duliao Battalion who had served for more than two years and had made achievements would be released from criminal status, allowing them to restore their household registration and return to the status of good citizens, which greatly reduced the criminal status of the Duliao Battalion.

Zhang Quan expressed his approval of his series of actions, stating that he also did not enjoy leading a group of criminals in combat.

This was a very demanding and risky task for the General of the Liaodong Expedition. He had to guard against the enemy on one hand and the criminals on the other, so there was nothing he could trust. He was constantly on guard, which was very exhausting.

However, Zhang Quan was curious about Yuan Shu's motives and wanted to know why Yuan Shu did this.

He always felt that those in positions of power generally didn't look down to those in lower positions, but Yuan Shu always looked down, as if he could see many unusual things in them.

Having problems is a good thing, at least in Yuan Shu's view, because it means that Yuan Shu has the opportunity to promote his theories and demonstrate his speaking skills.

Taking this opportunity, Yuan Shu presented his philosophy of conscience, expounding on the school of thought that farming and warfare are based on conscience, and explaining his views on good and evil.

Then, from a realistic perspective, he recounted how he spent money to buy civilian lives from soldiers during his previous campaigns, and from this he realized the principle of the best source of soldiers.

This series of statements was very appealing to Zhang Quan. It was the first time he had heard of such a thing, and he felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.

Before Yuan Shu, military strategists had conducted some research on the sources of soldiers and came up with the concept of "sons from good families" as the best source of soldiers.

However, this concept is rather narrow and its application is greatly limited in some regions. It is more like a class concept, giving the impression that the military is being treated as an independent entity, separate from the social class.

If this continues to develop, it will become the military households of the Song Dynasty, the garrisons of the Ming Dynasty, and the concept of hereditary military service.

Yuan Shu, from the perspective of later military strategists, stood on the shoulders of giants and proposed that the sons of farmers, miners, and boatmen belonged to the first-class source of soldiers, and expressed his dissatisfaction with the concept of "good family sons." Zhang Quan was very surprised by this, and upon reflection, he found it quite interesting.

Taking the opportunity, Yuan Shu gave Zhang Quan a copy of "On Knowledge and Action" that he had had copied, telling Zhang Quan to read it himself and ask him if he had any questions.

Zhang Quan was delighted and accepted the book "On Knowledge and Action." He stroked it, as if he could see a bright future within it.

Of course, Yuan Shu's visit to Zhang Quan was not only to develop his followers, but also primarily to discuss matters concerning the Southern Xiongnu.

The Southern Xiongnu were actually a relatively well-behaved group. Compared to the constantly troublesome Northern Xiongnu, the Southern Xiongnu had entered a semi-settled state and had lived and multiplied in the Yellow River basin for more than a hundred years.

During this period, the Southern Xiongnu generally did not cause any major incidents. They received money every year and were occasionally conscripted by the Han Empire to fight. There were occasional rebellions, but they were not of a general nature and were mostly caused by dissatisfaction within the Southern Xiongnu with the generally pro-Han Southern Xiongnu Chanyu.

Ultimately, the Han Empire's policy of appeasement effectively won over the upper echelons of the Southern Xiongnu. However, while the upper echelons of the Southern Xiongnu lived a life of luxury and extravagance, they continued to oppress and exploit the lower echelons of the Southern Xiongnu. They were sent to fight wars, but the spoils were not shared with them.

The upper echelons of the Southern Xiongnu and the upper echelons of the Han Empire were very close, like brothers, and together they treated the lower classes as less than human. As a result, the lower classes were dissatisfied and caused all sorts of trouble and rebellions, and in the end, the Han Empire often had to send troops to clean up their messes.

The collapse of Bingzhou was caused by the outbreak of internal conflicts within the Southern Xiongnu after the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

However, recent reports indicate that the Xianbei people seem to have had some contact with the high-ranking officials of the Southern Xiongnu. Zhang Quan told Yuan Shu about this, and Yuan Shu became somewhat wary and decided to give the Southern Xiongnu a warning.

Between the Han Empire and the Xianbei, even if you don't side with the Han Empire, you still have to remain neutral and not cause trouble. If you dare to side with the Xianbei, don't blame me for wiping you out before dealing with the Xianbei.

The Southern Xiongnu were no smaller than the Xianbei, with more people and more soldiers, but their settlements were smaller and more concentrated, unlike the Xianbei who were more scattered. So, if a war broke out, Yuan Shu was fully confident that he could surround them and swallow them whole.

However, Yuan Shu did not want to confront the Southern Xiongnu until that time. He felt that the Southern Xiongnu leadership was relatively rational and had been well-fed by the Han Empire, so they had no reason to stand with the Xianbei.

So on April 23, Yuan Shu took Zhang Quan to Meiji County to visit the Southern Xiongnu royal court and meet with the current Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, Tu Te Ruo Shi Zhu Jiu Chanyu.

With the intention of intimidating the Southern Xiongnu, Yuan Shu not only brought Xu Chong but also Lü Bu, intending to let Lü Bu demonstrate his bravery.

From the time Tu Te Chanyu ascended the throne in the first year of the Zhengshi era, he had always been respectful to the Han court and had always behaved himself without doing anything wrong. He also had a relatively harmonious relationship with the successive envoys to the Xiongnu. He was clearly a pro-Han figure.

Since Yuan Shu took office as the governor of Bingzhou at the end of the second year of Zhengshi, this was the first time he had personally visited Tu Te Chanyu at the Southern Xiongnu's residence. This made Tu Te Chanyu attach great importance to it. When Yuan Shu was still thirty miles away from Meiji County, Tu Te Chanyu had already come to greet him with his subordinates.

Tu Te Chanyu was not old, only in his thirties, but he looked quite mature. He looked strong, but there was no heroic spirit between his brows. If he were in the Central Plains, he would just be an ordinary middle-aged man next door.

Yuan Shu saw no signs of threat from him, and Tu Te was very respectful to Yuan Shu, showing no contempt for him because of his youth.

He dismounted from a distance to pay his respects to Yuan Shu, who remained seated on his horse to receive his greetings. Yuan Shu then dismounted, helped Tu Te up, exchanged pleasantries with him, and together they proceeded to the Southern Xiongnu encampment.

To entertain Yuan Shu, Tu Te obviously brought out the best of everything: the fattest roasted lamb and the finest mare's milk wine. In return, Yuan Shu brought a bottle of fine wine as a gift and presented it to Tu Te.

Tudor was pleasantly surprised and delighted with the twenty bottles of wine.

"I've long heard that Liangzhou wine is a top-quality wine, but it's extremely expensive, comparable to gold, and practically impossible to find. Even sending people to buy it won't get you any. Only a few bottles are given as annual rewards, and even then, you can't keep them all to yourself; you have to share them with your subordinates."
After distributing it to my subordinates, each person only got a sip. The aftertaste was unforgettable, but when they wanted another sip, it was all gone, which was truly a pity. Now, General Yuan has gifted me twenty bottles! I'll be laughing in my dreams tonight!

Tu Te was very eloquent, and his choice of words and phrases didn't sound like that of a Xiongnu person, but rather like that of a Han Chinese with a basic understanding of literature.

Moreover, his residence in Meiji County was also a small palace-like structure, no longer the traditional large tent of the Xiongnu, and his living facilities were just like those of Han nobles.

It appears that he has already begun the process of localization.

Yuan Shu was relatively satisfied with the Sinicization process of the Southern Xiongnu, but he also realized that this Sinicization was limited to the upper class of the Southern Xiongnu, rather than the whole. Many civilians in the Southern Xiongnu settlements still lived in tents and led miserable lives no different from before.

They can't enjoy the benefits of localization, but they have to bear all the costs. It's easy to imagine that these people are quite resentful.

It's no wonder that Liangzhuang's recruitment efforts have progressed so smoothly in the Southern Xiongnu region over the years.

(End of this chapter)