Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 538 Righteousness and Martial Spirit
"Sorry..."

"Oh no... help me, help me..."

As the sun set in the west, the already desolate banks of the Raole River were imbued with a strange sense of sorrow due to the countless corpses piled up after the war.

The banners of the Han Dynasty still fluttered on the low hill, but the banners of the Khitan Diela tribe had long since fallen to the ground, trampled beyond recognition by countless footprints.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and the putrid smell of rotting corpses, attracting flocks of crows that circled low overhead, cawing shrilly.

They would swoop down from time to time to peck at the softest parts of the corpses that were not yet completely cooled, and every now and then, as the Han soldiers who were cleaning up the battlefield arrived, they would flutter into the air, waiting for the next opportunity to pounce.

“Pile all the corpses of these Khitan dogs over there, pour kerosene on them, and burn them.”

"The weather will get hot in a few days. If we don't handle it properly, it will cause an epidemic. Don't be lazy."

"Yes……"

On the battlefield, the Han army's captains, brigade commanders, and captains were constantly giving orders to their soldiers, who in turn dragged all the worthless corpses to a large pit in the distance.

Ma Yi dismounted and moved swiftly across the battlefield, carefully avoiding the haphazardly scattered corpses on the ground with every step.

"help me……"

A faint groan came from beneath a pile of corpses. Ma Yi stopped and used his sword to push aside two of the corpses, revealing a Khitan youth with a face covered in blood.

The young man looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a terrible wound on his abdomen, and part of his intestines had spilled out.

When the Khitan youth saw Ma Yi's Han army attire, a flicker of fear crossed his eyes, but his survival instinct compelled him to extend a trembling hand and plead in a language Ma Yi couldn't understand: "Save me...save me..."

Ma Yi stared expressionlessly at his dying enemy, while the Khitan youth understood what was happening. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he simply closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

With a flash of light, the young man's throat was precisely slit open, and blood gushed out.

His body twitched a few times, then remained completely still, becoming a cold, lifeless corpse.

“The Duke was merciful and gave him a quick death.”

Several captains following behind Ma Yi couldn't help but speak up, while Ma Yi wiped the blood off his blade: "I fight on the battlefield every day. Today I hope to kill them quickly, and in the future I hope the enemy will give me a quick death as well."

"Hehe... Your Excellency is joking. Since the founding of our Great Han Dynasty, we have never suffered a defeat. There has never been anyone in the world who could defeat you."

Faced with the comments of the captains behind him, Ma Yi nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the camp that had already been set up in the distance.

At this moment, a commotion broke out in the west. Thousands of cavalrymen, accompanied by tens of thousands of elderly, weak, women and children, arrived. Their cries shattered the silence of the battlefield and caused the elderly, weak, women and children to completely break down.

The corpses lying on the ground were enemies to the Han army, but to them they were their own blood relatives.

Many people frantically shouted in the direction of Ma Yi and his group, but the corpses did not move, and Ma Yi and his group could not possibly leave the corpses unattended.

"Keep up the good work and get all these bodies disposed of before nightfall."

"Yes!"

After giving his orders, Ma Yi turned and walked towards the main camp, where countless flames rose up.

"General Cheng En of Han defeated the Rong in the north, and the victory report was first presented to Weiyang Palace; the Emperor prepared to open the Ling Pavilion to welcome him, but who now can count the merits of the Second Master..."

As the great battle ended, the joy of victory began to spread throughout the Han army camp. Since folk songs were forbidden in the army, the soldiers sang triumphant poems, which made everyone feel jubilant.

Ma Yi quickened his pace and returned to the main tent. Before long, as he approached the tent, he saw that many people had already gathered outside.

Before he could get close, the tent flap was lifted by the soldiers, and the generals entered one after another. Ma Yi also quickened his pace, jogged into the tent, and sat down in the left seat.

Seeing everyone seated, Husi Guang nodded in satisfaction and took out a document, saying:

"In this great victory, our army suffered only 657 dead and 880 wounded, while killing nearly 10,000 barbarians and capturing tens of thousands."

"The chieftain of the Khitan Yilijin tribe, Diela, died in battle against the enemy, and his meritorious service is recorded!"

"Except for a few hundred Hu soldiers and cavalry who escaped, the Diela tribe has been completely wiped out."

Husi Guang's words brought smiles to the faces of the generals in the tent, and Husi Guang continued:

"I have already ascertained that the scout who surrendered to our army earlier was not a Tang cavalryman from the Diela tribe. It is likely that someone from one of the Khitan tribes used our army to severely damage the Diela tribe."

"The Diela tribe suffered heavy losses, and the Yaolian tribe benefited. This person must have been sent by Yaolian Qinde."

"This Khan of the Khitan is truly ruthless."

Husi Guang couldn't help but scoff, and before anyone could speak, he raised his voice: "But if he thinks that the Diela tribe alone can satisfy our army's appetite, then he is underestimating our army."

"Send word to report the victory to Luoyang. In addition, Husili will lead 10,000 cavalry and infantry, along with the wounded, back to Liucheng and lead laborers to transport provisions for our army to the middle reaches of the Liao River. I will personally lead the army to cut off the Khitan's escape route to the north!"

"Yes!" Huslu hurriedly bowed in response, and Husguang immediately ordered the slaughter of the captured cattle and sheep after the military order was issued.

Before long, the aroma of meat wafted through the Han army camp on the west bank of the Raole River, and the 30,000 Han soldiers immediately began to feast.

While they were feasting, the remnants of the Diela tribe, who had been fleeing in disarray for several hours, finally escaped the Han army's cavalry.

At this moment, the tens of thousands of Diela tribe members have become history, leaving only the thirty-odd elite cavalry and two hundred-odd light cavalry behind Yelü Abaoji.

"Yaonian Qinde... Yaonian Qinde... I swear to kill Yaonian Qinde!!"

At this moment, Yelü Abaoji's eyes were bloodshot. He had already guessed who had betrayed the Diela tribe during his escape.

The destruction of the Diela tribe was a blow to all the Khitan tribes, except for the Yaolian tribe, which benefited from it.

However, the Yaolian tribe has two thousand elite cavalry and three thousand light cavalry, in addition to more than twenty thousand followers, which is far beyond what he can handle now.

The Diela tribe has declined, and he must find a way to restore its glory.

"Choli, where should we go now?"

The team leader rode up and caught up. If Yelü Abaoji couldn't give him a good answer, he would probably choose to abandon Yelü Abaoji.

It wasn't just him who had this thought; everyone else had it too.

Faced with the restless atmosphere, Yelü Abaoji gritted his teeth and said, "Go to Balibu. My uncle is there, and he will help us. So will the Yishibu!"

With Yelü Abaoji moving out of Yishi and Bali tribes, the previously unsettled people's hearts immediately settled down.

The Bali and Yishi tribes have been allied with the Diela tribe through marriage for generations, and both tribes are powerful. Although they are not likely to directly fight against the Yaolian tribe for Yelü Abaoji, they can definitely protect these two hundred-plus people.

As long as he has the support of both tribes, even if he cannot take over the position of Khitan Yilijin, he can recommend his uncle to temporarily take over the position and wait for him to find a way to reclaim the position in the future.

He didn't hate the Han Dynasty, because they were enemies of the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty defeated them on the main battlefield. Naturally, he also wanted to find a way to defeat the Han Dynasty on the main battlefield.

He hated Yaolian Qinde, the traitor who betrayed his own people...

Thinking of Yaolian Qinde's face, Yelü Abaoji's expression darkened: "Let's go!"

At his command, more than two hundred cavalrymen followed him to detour around Checheer Mountain, but the Han army's advance did not stop there.

The Diela tribe, the strongest of the eight Khitan tribes, was almost completely wiped out, which allowed the Han army to deal with the war more calmly.

The Han army's cavalry began to search the vast territory south of the Liao River. Whenever they discovered traces of the eight Khitan tribes, the cavalry and infantry behind them would immediately carry a month's or even half a month's worth of military rations and begin to pursue them.

"Woooooooo..."

"You little bastards, they're catching up again! Forget about the herd, let's retreat!"

On the eighth day of the third month, when the bugle call of the Han army sounded again, Yaolian Qinde, who was on the retreat route, turned ashen-faced and immediately urged his troops to begin the retreat.

In an instant, more than 100,000 herds were abandoned, and nearly 80,000 Khitan and Xi people from the Yaolian tribe began to continue their northward escape.

On his escape on horseback, Yaolian Qinde suddenly regretted revealing the news of the Diela tribe to the Han army.

He did not expect that it would only take seven or eight days from the news being leaked to the enemy's defeat, so much so that he encountered the Han army's cavalry before he even crossed the Liao River.

At this moment, the Han army's cavalry were chasing them like hunters from behind. Yaolian Qinde had lost count of how many of his outer cavalry had died. He only knew that he was still a few dozen miles away from crossing the Liao River, at which point he could continue north to Checheer Mountain.

No matter how powerful the Han army was, they wouldn't have chased them across the Liao River to the Checheer Mountain...

"Buzzing, rumbling..."

"Khan! Behind you!!"

Tules' voice awakened Yaolianqinde, who turned to look and saw an even larger cloud of dust rising to the south.

"The main force of the Han army is catching up. Don't be stingy with your horses. They are definitely pursuing us with light cavalry. Once their horses are exhausted, they won't be able to catch up with us!"

Yaolian Qinde frantically shook the reins, as did his tribesmen behind him.

The Khitans of the Qiduo Yaolian tribe continued to flee north, while the Han army behind them relentlessly pursued them.

"Damn it, you ran really fast!"

The banners of the Han Dynasty fluttered in the air, while Li Keju watched as the dust cloud in front of him drew ever closer.

During this time, many Khitans who had fallen behind could be seen. If they dismounted and surrendered, people were sent to guard them and accept their surrender directly. However, if they tried to escape or fight back, Han soldiers would shoot them dead.

The reason these people fell behind was because they were riding inferior horses and naturally had no armor to protect them.

Arrows are not powerful enough against armor, but they can be deadly against ordinary people wearing animal skin coats.

From noon to dusk, the two armies pursued each other for more than seventy li, stopping and starting. The Liao River in the north was clearly visible, and it seemed that the sound of horses' hooves was no longer heard, but the sound of the river.

However, the current season is still too cold, and the Liao River is icy cold. Many horses and tribesmen who are too weak to cross the Liao River will certainly not be able to do so.

If the enemy were here, he would choose to lead the men of his tribe to cover the elderly and children as they crossed the river to retreat north, but Yao Nian Qin De would not.

When tens of thousands of Khitans from the Yaolian tribe reined in their horses at the Liao River, awaiting Yaolian Qinde's orders, Yaolian Qinde took a handful of beans from a cloth bag beside his saddle, dismounted, and fed them to his warhorse to replenish its strength.

Seeing this, the others followed suit, but very few people in the Yaolian tribe could afford to eat beans. Apart from the more than two thousand armored elite cavalry, the rest could only let their horses graze on the newly sprouted grass.

The Han army behind them was getting closer and closer, while Yaolian Qinde looked at the Liao River, which was more than twenty feet wide, and gritted his teeth inwardly.

"Cross the river!"

Without any words, just the simple phrase "cross the river," countless Khitan people of the Yaolian tribe were instantly filled with despair.

Shi Sechuo and Tules of the Ruxi tribe stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

They had expected Yaolian Qinde to lead the warriors to cover the rear, giving the people time to build rafts and cross the river, but instead, they received only such a simple and brutal military order.

In early March, the Liao River was icy cold. Even though the water level was not as high as during the flood season, it was still enough to sweep away children and the elderly who were too weak to walk.

Shi Sechu and Tules looked at each other, wanting to refute, but they couldn't bring themselves to say it.

On the grasslands, the strong prey on the weak. Abandoning the weaker members of the tribe would also save them food rations when they were nomadic in the Checheer Mountains.

With that thought in mind, the two gritted their teeth and ordered, "Cross the river!"

As soon as they finished speaking, they took the lead and began to cross the river with the elite cavalry of the Yaolian tribe. These elite cavalrymen then distributed the extra beans to the horses ridden by their families.

The horses quickly regained their strength and then followed the caravan into the Liao River.

The water level of the Liao River is not high. Since it is not the flood season, the current water level is only two or three feet, but the river water is icy cold, making people shiver.

The sight of more than 70,000 people crossing the river was truly awe-inspiring, but many of the weak horses simply could not cross the icy water.

People and horses kept falling over. Even though the water level wasn't high, many people couldn't react in time after falling in during the panic and could only struggle.

If someone lends a hand, they can stand up, but if no one helps, they will drown.

Faced with these circumstances, Yaolian Qinde paid no attention. He simply waited patiently for his relatives to cross the river after his elite cavalry had crossed.

Two thousand elite cavalrymen and tens of thousands of their relatives, while the Xi tribe's Tules and Shisechuo had only a little over a thousand armored soldiers and seven or eight thousand family members.

After the more than 20,000 people crossed the river, Yaolian Qinde turned his gaze to the south, not far away.

Now, mounted on his horse, he could see the Han army galloping towards him from afar. Fearing that the Han cavalry would cross the river to pursue them, he turned his horse around and ordered, "Go!"

Without any hesitation, he led his 20,000-plus men northward to continue their retreat, while the Khitans and Xi who wanted to follow him quickened their pace to cross the river.

Tens of thousands of elderly and weak people, knowing they could not cross the river, crowded together on the south bank of the Liao River. As the Han army drew closer, they raised their hands to indicate they had no hostile intentions.

More than four thousand elite Han cavalrymen galloped from afar. Upon seeing tens of thousands of Khitan and Xi people surrender, he immediately turned his gaze to the fleeing remnants of the Khitan and Xi people in the distance.

"Let them cut down trees to build bridges and construct camps. It's not too late to cross the river after the Prince arrives with his army!"

Instead of pursuing rashly, he chose to capture these tens of thousands of Hu people to build a bridge for the Han army.

Under his orders, tens of thousands of Khitan and Xi people were captured, while those who managed to cross the river hurriedly chased after Yaolian Qinde.

Others, unwilling to flee, stood on the north bank of the Liao River, waiting for the Han army to cross.

The Liao River alone reduced the number of people in Yaolian Qinde's northward entourage by 30%.

Fortunately, those abandoned were mostly the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and a small number of men, so he wasn't too heartbroken.

Since the Diela tribe had already been destroyed and they had gained the support of Tules and Shisechuo, the Yaolian tribe was now the strongest of the eight tribes.

This time, I not only need to secure my position as Khan, but also take over the position of Yilijin.

While he was thinking this, the captured Hu people, under the supervision of the Han army, had already cut down trees on the south bank of the Liao River and built a simple wooden bridge that led directly to the north bank of the Liao River.

Li Keju dispatched several hundred cavalrymen northward to track down Yaolian Qinde, and then set up camp here to await the arrival of the cavalry and infantry led by Husiguang.

Three days passed quickly under these circumstances. Without the herds to delay them, Yaolian Qinde soon fled more than two hundred miles to the north, and Li Keju could only keep sending more cavalry to search for their whereabouts.

On March 12th, Husi Guang led over 10,000 infantry and cavalry, along with over 40,000 laborers, and drove over 20,000 horse-drawn carriages, gradually approaching from the south until they finally set up camp here.

"I am ashamed to say that in this battle I only captured 20,000 men and women and 200,000 cattle, sheep and horses, and failed to inflict serious damage on Yaonian Qinde."

Inside the camp tent, Li Keju spoke with feigned shame, but deep down he harbored his own pride.

In this pursuit of Yaolian Qinde, apart from a dozen or so cavalrymen falling from their horses and more than two hundred cavalrymen falling behind, he suffered no casualties whatsoever.

"Li Bingma is being modest."

Sitting in the main seat, Husiguang comforted him, saying, "These 20,000-plus Khitans will be temporarily conscripted into the army as laborers, and the herds will remain here."

"I observe that this place has a good terrain, is accompanied by the Liao River, and is far away from the Liaoze in the east. It is suitable to build a city and cultivate the land here."

When Hu Siguang came, he had already seen the situation here. He believed that at least 100,000 mu of farmland could be cultivated, which would be enough to support tens of thousands of people and more than a thousand soldiers.

If more than ten cities are built along the Liao River and millions of acres of farmland are cultivated, then the war can be contained to the north of the Liao River, and Hebei and Liaodong can focus on development.

Just then, a fast horse galloped in from outside the tent. He immediately dismounted, walked to the tent entrance, and bowed.

"Reporting to the Prince, the cavalry commander defeated the Wuwei tribe at Huangyangkou, killing more than 2,600 Hu people, capturing more than 10,000, and seizing 100,000 cattle, sheep and horses."

"Husi's troops broke through the Hu tribe at Shalangpo, killing 1,800 Hu people, capturing 8,000, and seizing 50,000 cattle and sheep."

The messenger's report made Husi Guang stroke his beard and nod in agreement.

"In this way, four of the eight Khitan tribes will suffer heavy losses, and Governor An will surely not come away empty-handed."

Husiguang analyzed the situation and then said to Li Keju, "Send a fast horse to inform Governor An of our army's location and ask him to come here to join us as soon as possible."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Li Keju quickly agreed, and then sent a fast horse to deliver the message to An Pohu's troops.

In the following days, Husiguang led the prisoners and laborers to build a rammed earth city on the original site of the camp, while Ma Yi and Husijin also came to join them with prisoners and spoils after the various Khitan tribes marched north.

The laborers from the rear continuously delivered supplies, and Husiguang named this place Pinglu City (Ongniud Banner). The number of laborers in Pinglu City also increased as more supplies were delivered.

On March 22, An Pohu led 30,000 cavalry and infantry and 60,000 laborers to Pinglu City. Outside Pinglu City, there were already 60,000 Han soldiers, 140,000 laborers and more than 40,000 prisoners.

An Pohu's achievements were indeed remarkable, but his seniority was still inferior to that of Husi Guang. Therefore, others called him Prince An, while Husi Guang only called him Governor.

"The cavalry in the north have almost finished scouting. Yao Nianqinde and the others fled to the plains and pine forests north of Checheer Mountain, which is about 600 li away from here."

“If we are to continue deeper, with the provisions our army carries, we can only support a maximum of ten thousand cavalrymen to march north. The troops here also need to be withdrawn to the south to reduce the pressure on provisions.” Inside the tent, Husi Guang and An Po Hu discussed whether to march north, while Ma Yi, Tan Kai, Li Keju and others listened quietly in their seats.

After Husi Guang finished speaking, Anpo Hu stroked his short beard, and for a moment he was also a little undecided.

This battle was originally intended to be an encirclement and annihilation campaign, but the surrender of the Xi tribe led to the Khitan fleeing north, causing the original plan to fall apart. The encirclement and annihilation campaign had to be changed to a pursuit.

Now, their two armies have killed more than 40,000 Khitan and Xi troops, and more than 100,000 Khitan and Xi people have surrendered or been captured.

This situation is definitely a major blow, according to the information they obtained from the people of Qu Zhu and others.

The Khitan and Xi tribes together numbered no more than 400,000. Now, nearly 200,000 have been killed or captured, and at most 200,000 have fled north.

Of the more than 200,000 men, at most 40,000 to 50,000 were unarmored. If they were pursued by 10,000 cavalry, it would be possible to defeat them.

Thinking of this, An Pohu looked at Tan Kai and said, "Go and invite Qu Zhu over."

"Yes!" Tan Kai bowed in agreement, then left the tent to invite Qu Zhu of the Xi tribe.

Before long, Qu Zhu was brought into the tent and bowed to Anpohu and Husiguang.

"Right now, the Khitan leader Yaolian Qinde and Shisechuo have led more than 200,000 people to flee north. What do you think if our army were to march north to conquer the plains and pine forests north of Checheer Mountain?"

An Pohu asked Qu Zhu, who bowed and said, "I know about Pingdi Songlin. If Prince An wants to send troops to attack Pingdi Songlin, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with those Khitans."

"West of the pine forest on the plain is Shiwei Mountain (Greater Khingan Mountains). Sometimes the Khitan people could hide in Shiwei Mountain with the help of Sechuo's group."

"Unless Prince An can lead his army to besiege them in the Shiwei Mountains for several months, there is no way to force them out."

As soon as Qu Zhu finished speaking, Hu Siguang couldn't help but ask, "What if we send troops to search the mountain?"

Qu Zhu shook his head upon hearing this and explained, "The Shiwei Mountains stretch for two or three thousand li from north to south and three or four hundred li from east to west, making them even more expansive than the Yanshan Mountains."

"Even if we send out more than 100,000 troops to search the mountains, it will probably take several months to find them."

From Qu Zhu's words, An Po Hu and Hu Si Guang learned of the difficulty of continuing the northern expedition, and then waved to signal Tan Kai to send him away.

After he left, Anpohu spoke first, saying, "This matter should be told to His Majesty. If His Majesty agrees to continue the northern expedition, then the Provincial Administration Commission can be ordered to recruit laborers immediately."

"If we want to lead an army of 50,000 north to the plains and pine forests, we will need to send at least 150,000 more laborers."

"Alright!" Husiguang nodded in agreement without the slightest hesitation.

Soon, the two wrote memorials and sent fast horses southward, while they led laborers and prisoners to build a city along the Liao River.

Meanwhile, the eight Khitan tribes, who had already retreated to the north of Checheer Mountain, suffered heavy casualties in this battle.

Even though they had retreated in advance, the Han army's cavalry was too fast, and most of the herds were lost south of the Liao River. Only about 200,000 herds were taken to Checheer Mountain.

At the foot of Checheer Mountain, the Khan's tent was set up, surrounded by tens of thousands of animal skin tents, each crammed with seven or eight people.

Everyone sat listlessly outside the tent, their eyes glazed over, occasionally letting out cries of hunger.

"More than 100,000 tribesmen have been captured or killed, and now most of the herds have been lost. There are only 200,000 herds left. How can that be enough to feed them?"

"My current concern is not about food and drink, but whether the Han army will continue its northward march."

"If the Han army continues its northward advance, then we will have no choice but to flee to the Shiwei Mountains!"

"Han people who are like dogs and rats..."

Inside the Khan's tent, the eight tribal leaders and the Xi tribe's Shisechuo and Tules sat in their respective positions.

However, the position that originally belonged to the Diela tribe has now been occupied by Duohe, the leader of the Yishi tribe.

Although the Yishi tribe also suffered heavy losses from the Han army, its strength was still second only to the Yaolian tribe. The once powerful Diela tribe could only be represented by Yelü Abaoji, sitting at the very end of the eight tribes, with Tules and Shisechuo.

Yelü Abaoji remained silent at this moment, but he kept a close eye on the quarrel among the tribal leaders.

He remained silent, while Yaolian Qinde subtly observed him.

Yaolian Qinde still remembers how arrogant this wolf cub used to be, but now he looks like a drowning dog, hoping that others won't notice him.

Looking at his appearance, Yaolian Qinde felt secretly pleased, thinking that the sacrifice of more than 20,000 of his followers was nothing.

"All right!"

After a moment of quiet smugness, Yaolian Qinde brought up the serious matter, interrupting everyone to speak:

"The Han army is powerful. We can graze our livestock in the pine forests on the plains for now. If the Han army marches north, we can retreat to Shiwei Mountain later."

“Shi Sechuo and Tules’ tribesmen are skilled at cultivating land in the river valleys, and there are plenty of prey in the Shiwei Mountains. As long as the tribesmen are scattered, they will not have any problem surviving.”

"Now let's designate the plains of pine forest and the Shiwei Mountains, and each tribe will allocate its own pastures and hunting grounds based on the size of its population. How about that?"

His remarks quickly aroused the dissatisfaction of the Bali and Yishi tribes. Nierigun, Yelü Abaoji's uncle, took the initiative to speak out:

"The Diela tribe was closest to the Han army, and they suffered the most casualties this time. It's unfair to divide the hunting grounds and pastures according to the number of their people!"

“That’s right!” Huli, a more influential member of the Yishi tribe, chimed in, “Their pastures and hunting grounds can’t be small, otherwise, if other tribes suffer heavy losses in the future, will they also be marginalized in the same way?”

The two men's words immediately made the other six departments, who were originally satisfied, start to think.

After all, with the example of the Diela tribe, no one dares to guarantee that their own tribe will remain powerful forever.

Thinking of this, they all nodded and looked at Yaolian Qinde.

Seeing this, Yaolian Qinde cursed inwardly for the Diela tribe's disastrous marriage alliances over the years, yet they managed to get two major tribes to speak on their behalf.

Thinking of this, Yaolian Qinde nodded slightly and said, "The Diela tribe will naturally not be treated unfairly."

"How about this, from north to south, the Yaonian tribe, Yishi tribe, Chute tribe, Diela tribe, Wuwei tribe, Niela tribe, Pin tribe, Tulubu tribe, Ahui tribe, and Chuhe tribe will successively claim territory by horsemen, what do you think?"

Although the north offers unlimited opportunities to expand hunting grounds and pastures, it is close to the Shiwei tribes and is prone to warfare. Smaller tribes cannot occupy it, so it is naturally occupied by the strongest tribe at present, the Yaolian tribe.

The Diela tribe was placed in the center, and their hunting grounds and grasslands were neither too many nor too small, so they were certainly not treated unfairly.

After all, with their current strength, even some of the smaller tribes under the eight major tribes could challenge them.

If they wanted to expand, they could either slowly multiply or go north to raid the Shiwei people and make them their followers, thereby increasing their strength.

Yaolian Qinde placed them in the middle, seemingly to protect them, but in reality, to prevent them from growing stronger through war.

Yelü Abaoji saw these things very clearly, but he lacked the strength to do so at the moment and could only nod in agreement.

"Since no one objects, let's leave it at that."

Seeing that no one objected, Yaolian Qinde proudly settled the matter, saying:

"Now that the matters concerning the pastures and hunting grounds have been settled, there is one more thing that needs to be settled as well."

Upon hearing this, everyone instantly knew what he was going to say, and Yaolian Qinde also spoke up:

"There are two positions in the tribe: Khan and Yilijin. The position of Khan is hereditary, but the position of Yilijin is not."

"Although the position of Yilijin in the tribe has been passed down to the chieftain of the Diela tribe for several generations, the Diela tribe is now weakened, and the fate of the enemy is unknown, so the position of Yilijin..."

Before Yaolian Qinde could finish speaking, Duhe, the leader of the Yishi tribe, stood up, looked at everyone, and said, "If the Khan cannot concurrently serve as Yilijin, then let me do it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yaolian Qinde's face darkened, and Balibu's Nierigon quickly echoed, "I support it!"

Seeing that Nierigun supported him, the other tribes also expressed their support. After all, they all knew what Yaolianqinde was thinking and did not want Yaolianqinde to concurrently serve as Yilijin. Therefore, they all supported Duohe.

“Alright…then Duohe will take on the role of Yilijin.”

When Yaolian Qinde saw that no one supported him, he was furious, but he still had to appear magnanimous.

After he made his statement, the tribal leaders congratulated Duohe, while Yaolian Qinde picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and looked at Duohe who was accepting the congratulations, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Now that things have been settled, let's disperse. We'll begin demarcating the pastures and hunting grounds in three days!"

Yaolian Qinde, out of sight, out of mind, and the tribal leaders also rose and went outside the tent, offering their congratulations and greetings.

After they left, Yaolian Huaide entered the tent, looking astonished, and said, "Adian, how come Duohe became Yilijin?"

"Hmph!" Yaolian Qinde snorted coldly, then gripped the wooden cup in his hand tightly: "If I can kill the enemy, can't I kill a mere Duhe?"

"Let him be happy for now. Let's see what he does when those wild dogs from Shiwei come looking for him..."

While he was talking with Yaolian Huaide, the tribal leaders returned to their respective tribes, but Yelü Abaoji, the leader of the Diela tribe, found only a few hundred tents when he returned to his own tribe.

"Sip it..."

A young man was walking towards Yelü Abaoji from a distance. The man was Hula, who should have inherited the leadership of the Diela tribe, but he had chosen to join his mother tribe, the Pin tribe, leaving the Diela tribe to Yelü Abaoji.

"I want to take half of the people in the tribe with me."

Hula's words made the already difficult situation of the Diela tribe even more difficult.

Upon seeing this, Yelü Abaoji took a deep breath and said, "I am willing to serve Adian as my master. Adian can stay and become the chief of the Diela tribe."

“No…” Hula shook his head, but offered no explanation.

Yelü Abaoji knew that Hula did not believe that the Diela tribe could grow strong, and since the Diela tribe had offended Yaolian Qinde, he planned to abandon the Diela tribe and become a minor chieftain in the Pin tribe.

With such short-sighted vision, it's no wonder that Aru disliked him and left him to graze in the north.

This arrangement, however, allowed him to escape unscathed...

"Let me know when you've made your selection."

Yelü Abaoji remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing to his departure.

The war in the south cost him too much; his respected uncle and father, as well as his beloved younger brother and sister, were all missing.

Now he is hated by Yaolian Qinde, and his already small number of followers have been taken away, making his future even more difficult.

Even so, he was not prepared to bow to fate, and the Diela tribe would eventually become powerful under his leadership.

He returned to his headquarters, where he served as the leader, while at the same time, in the south, countless fast horses were galloping towards Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Han Dynasty.

"A great victory at Songmo! The Khitan have fled north to Checheer Mountain, and Songmo now belongs to the Han!"

"The great victory at Songmo..."

When the fast horse galloped into Luoyang, the news of the great victory immediately attracted the attention of countless people.

"A great victory?"

"No way, the Khitan barbarians have been causing trouble for hundreds of years, they're not so easy to deal with."

The people and merchants on both sides of the main street stared in astonishment at the distant messenger horse carrying news of victory, unable to believe that the Khitans had been driven out of Songmo territory so easily.

It should be noted that the Khitans had been harassing Hebei since the early Tang Dynasty. In order to guard against the Khitans and the Xi tribes, Hebei had gathered more than 100,000 troops to defend against them.

Now, news of victory arrives swiftly: the Khitans have been driven out of Songmo, and Songmo has become part of the Han Dynasty's territory—this is unbelievable.

The shock of the common people was only the beginning. As the fast horses entered the capital, the officials of the Southern Court soon learned of the great victory in the northern expedition.

Li Shangyin, Cui Shu, Xiao Gou, and others led important officials from the Three Provinces and Six Ministries to the Zhenguan Hall. By the time they arrived, bowed, and stood up, Liu Jilong had already delivered the news of victory.

"His Majesty……"

Li Shangyin tentatively inquired, and Liu Jilong nodded slightly to interrupt: "The northern expedition was a great victory. Nearly 200,000 Khitan and Xi tribes were killed or captured, and nearly a million cattle, sheep and horses were captured. The entire area north of the Liao River, a hundred miles away, belongs to the Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials were overcome with excitement, and Liu Jilong also spoke up:

“This place belongs entirely to the Han Dynasty. If we don’t send troops to control it, it may be invaded by the barbarians in the future.”

"I intend to establish the Da Ning Circuit here, set up three offices to govern Da Ning, and relocate all 100,000 prisoners of war to Hebei. In the future, all officials, commoners and their relatives who commit crimes in the Guandong Circuit will be exiled to Da Ning to guard the border."

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Upon seeing Liu Jilong's instructions, the courtiers hailed him as wise, while Liu Jilong shook his head.

The ministers are now praising the emperor's wisdom because they don't know the cost of governing Daming. Once the Three Offices are fully established in Daming, they will realize what a huge financial burden Daming is.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Daning Military Command in Yanbei and relocated 300,000 military households and their relatives to Daning to defend the border and cultivate the land. However, after ten years of cultivation, the Daning Military Command still needed to transport 2 million shi of grain from Hebi, Shanxi and other places every year to be self-sufficient.

It should be noted that Zhu Di's five northern expeditions, the largest of which, the first, consumed only about a million shi of grain.

It can be said that the expenses of the Da Ning Commandery in one year were enough for Zhu Di to launch two northern expeditions.

Of course, the equipment gap between the Mongols and the Ming army in the early Ming Dynasty was not too large. Tribes such as the Tatars, Oirats, and Uriyangkhai could easily field tens of thousands of armored cavalry, which was something that the nomadic tribes of today could not match.

In this battle, the Han army mobilized 90,000 troops and nearly wiped out the Khitan and Xi tribes, so the Han Dynasty did not need to deploy too many troops in Daning.

In Liu Jilong's view, two legions with 30,000 troops would be more than enough to deal with the Khitan and Shiwei in the north.

Based on the amount of grain transported this time, maintaining an army of 30,000 stationed on both sides of the Liao River would consume about 200,000 shi of grain per year. Considering the loss of 50-60% of the grain transported from Hebei, 500,000 shi of grain per year would be sufficient.

As for the development of Daning, it can be done slowly from south to north, which would also reduce the logistical burden.

Having thought of this, Liu Jilong shared his idea, and Li Shangyin and the others nodded in agreement.

The annual consumption of 500,000 shi of military rations, plus the consumption from the continuous migration of thousands or tens of thousands of immigrants to the north, was a burden that the imperial court could still bear.

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

Li Shangyin took the lead in speaking, and Liu Jilong also nodded and looked at Jing Xiang, Zhang Ying and others from the cabinet.

"This battle ends here. It's too far to attack Pingdi Songlin from Hebei. We can wait until Daning can provide us with food and laborers before we attack Pingdi Songlin from Daning."

"The matter concerning the Three Departments of Da Ning shall be discussed and handled by the Cabinet and the Southern Office."

"Within the territory of Daning, the Khitan and Xi tribes have cultivated at least 300,000 to 400,000 mu of land. If any people are willing to go north to cultivate the land, each person will be given 10 mu of land, and each household will be given a draft ox or a draft horse, and will be exempt from taxes for three years."

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

Although the 300,000 to 400,000 mu of arable land in the Yanshan River Valley is small, it is still better than nothing.

It can at least provide a small amount of military rations, eliminating the need to transfer them from southern Hebei and saving a lot of losses along the way.

"Your Majesty, the war in the northern borderlands has just ended, but I have heard that the southern frontiers are about to raise troops again. Wouldn't that be too much of a burden?"

Xiao Gou bowed and asked Liu Jilong, after all, the Songmo war, which was not yet over, had mobilized 300,000 laborers to supply the 90,000 troops with money, food and supplies. If war were to break out again in the south, it would indeed be too frequent and exhaust the manpower.

In response to his insights, Liu Jilong slowly rose and paced back and forth on the golden platform, his voice echoing throughout the Zhenguan Hall:

“Since the first year of Xiantong, the southern barbarians have invaded the southwestern regions 34 times, and the number of people who have suffered from the ravages of war is more than one million.”

“I have heard that Emperor You Shilong once enslaved more than 300,000 Han Chinese from Xichuan, Qianzhong and Annam, and no court official has mentioned it for more than 20 years.”

"When I was young, I was also a slave of the Tibetans, and I know the suffering of being a slave."

“In the past, the court was weak and unable to protect the people, which was understandable to the common people.”

"The current court is powerful, yet it abandons its people. What kind of logic is this?"

His words caused many officials from Xiaogou and the three provinces and six ministries who were preparing to offer advice to lower their heads.

If Liu Jilong hadn't mentioned it, they would never have remembered that Dali had plundered more than 300,000 people in the southwest.

For over twenty years since those people were abducted, no one has mentioned their fate after being captured. They seem to have been forgotten, claiming to be Han Chinese, yet enslaved by the southern barbarians.

Liu Jilong glanced at them out of the corner of his eye as they lowered their heads, then took a deep breath and stood in the center of Jintai, with the vast map behind him.

"My purpose in this war is not only to rescue the captured people, but also to completely eradicate the southern barbarians from the southwest of Han territory, so as to proclaim this to all the barbarians."

"Uphold righteousness and martial spirit, and those who defy the mighty Han, though strong, shall be slain; those who openly offend the mighty Han, though far away, shall be punished!"

(End of this chapter)