Han officials

Chapter 208 Historical Debts [4K]

Luan He was not surprised by Xu Rong's hesitation.

He also knew that if he rushed forward, he would be looked down upon, so he led his troops to help in the battle.

Who would have thought that Xu Rong's methods were too sharp and Guo Wei was too useless, causing him to miss the opportunity to help in time of need. So at this moment, Luan He was very tired.

After glaring at Guo Yu in annoyance, he reluctantly ordered his attendants to bring over two boxes.

Xu Rong opened it and saw that one of the small boxes contained a map, which contained detailed information about the mountains and rivers, passes, fortresses, counties, pavilions, settlements, etc. of Yunzhong County. This immediately put Xu Rong's guard down.

After all, with this map in hand, the defense secrets of Yunzhong County are as clear to him as reading patterns on paper.

As for the other box, it contained the household registration and tax information of the eleven counties in Yunzhong County.

From this we can see that Luan He was indeed sincerely committed to the Wei army.

Just when Xu Rong was wondering, he suddenly understood when he saw the final household registration data.

"Twenty-six thousand four hundred and thirty-six people? Is this number true?"

"At least, not more!" Luan He's face was full of bitterness.

You should know that among the more than a thousand cavalrymen he led on this trip, except for five hundred county soldiers, the rest were volunteers.

Seeing Xu Rong's disbelief, Luan He forced a smile and said, "It's actually not a small amount. In fact, it's more than Dingxiang County."

Dingxiang County is an area sandwiched between Yunzhong County and Yanmen County, covering a total of five counties.

The combined population of these five counties is only over 13,000, less than that of a township in Jizhou.

Of course, Yunzhong County and Dingxiang County also have the relationship that the eldest brother does not talk about the second brother, and no one should talk about anyone else.

This is also the reason why Luan He took the initiative to surrender.

There is no way out. Life in Yunzhong County is really unbearable.

If not for this, Luan He would not have been given the position of Yunzhong prefect.

Although he was a prefect in name, he was actually no different from a county magistrate.

However, without the support of the central court and a Bingzhou governor to unify the control, Yunzhong County alone was unable to resist the encroachment of the Hu people.

Especially after Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, even the barbarians outside the Great Wall knew about the civil unrest in the Central Plains.

Under such circumstances, it is remarkable that Luan He has been able to support himself for more than a year.

Even so, the Hu people outside the Great Wall were still somewhat wary of the Han Dynasty and did not dare to be too presumptuous.

Therefore, Luan He was not worried about the arrival of the Wei army, but happy, and he could not wait to submit. After all, without the support of the rear, he felt that Yunzhong County would fall within a year.

"In the winter of the fourth year of Zhongping, after Zhang Chun's rebellion, Xiu Tuge and other nobles from the Southern Xiongnu tribes continued to demand tribute from the court, and so they brazenly launched a rebellion. The unrest in Bingzhou has never ceased since then."

In the middle of the hall, Luan He spoke with a weary face, "In the first month of the fifth year of Zhongping, Xiu Tuge attacked Xihe and killed Xing Ji, the governor of Xihe County. In March, Xiu Tuge attacked and killed Zhang Yi, the former governor of Bingzhou. They then joined forces with the Hu people of the Southern Xiongnu's left wing, claiming to have a force of 100,000 men. They killed the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, Qiang Qu, and supported Xubu Guduhou as Chanyu, establishing themselves as Chanyu from then on."

By the way, at that time the imperial court ordered the conscription of Southern Xiongnu troops to assist in suppressing the rebellion, and Qiangqu sent his son, the Left Wise King Yufuluo, to lead troops to assist. Unexpectedly, the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu suddenly died, and Yufuluo, the Xiongnu prince, could not go back, so he had to lead his subordinates to wander around Hedong County and join the Baibo Army.

In front of Xu Rong, Luan He did not hide the situation in Yunzhong County at all and told him everything directly.

As a result, Luan He was happy, but Xu Rong and Zhang Liao remained silent.

Even Yanmen prefect Guo Wei, who had been glaring at him, now had a look of regret on his face.

Zhang Liao never expected that the situation would deteriorate to this extent just two years after he left Bingzhou.

You should know that Meizhi County, Xihe County, where the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Court was located, was in the heart of Bingzhou.

One can imagine how much pressure the surrounding counties and prefectures would be under if they allowed 100,000 Xiongnu rebels to remain here.

I'm afraid that Xihe County has now become a pasture for the Xiongnu, just like Shang County and Shuofang County.

But then again, the Huns' migration inland was not actually Liu Hong's fault, because it was Emperor Guangwu's idea.

As early as the 50th year of Jianwu ( AD), in order to protect (monitor) the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu and his people, Emperor Guangwu ordered the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Court to move across the Yellow River to Meiji County, Xihe County, and station there.

At the same time, with the approval of the court, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu also deployed the eight tribes under his jurisdiction in the eight counties in the northern border area, and ordered Han's Gudu Hou to be stationed in Beidi County, Youxian King to be stationed in Shuofang County, Dangyu Gudu Hou to be stationed in Wuyuan County, Huyan Gudu Hou to be stationed in Yunzhong County, Lang's Gudu Hou to be stationed in Dingxiang County, Zuonan General to be stationed in Yanmen County, and Li Ji Gudu Hou to be stationed in Dai County. They all led their tribes to serve as spies in the counties.

It was thanks to Emperor Guangwu's arrangements that the Southern Xiongnu tribes were dispersed throughout the eight northern border counties, penetrating deep into the Han territory. Although some of these tribes have now declined and disappeared, most of the Xiongnu tribes that migrated inland have been able to recuperate and thrive.

From this perspective, both Liu Hong and Cao Cao were actually betrayed by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.

After all, if he moved the Xiongnu inland, it would be fine, but at least he should have dispersed the tribes, right? How could they move inland in an organized manner?
As a result, after more than a hundred years, not only did the Southern Xiongnu fail to become sinicized, but the counties in Bingzhou were almost becoming assimilated to the barbarians.

Thinking of this, Zhang Liao couldn't help but criticize Emperor Guangwu in his heart.

Xu Rong didn't think too much about it, but asked with some headache: "Where are the General Protector of the Xiongnu and the General Du Liao?"

You should know that one of these two positions is to guard the Southern Xiongnu, and the other is to maintain the defense of the northern border counties.

Especially in Manbo County, Wuyuan County, where the Du Liao General’s Mansion is located, it is next to Meizhi County.

Now that the northern border counties of Bingzhou have become so corrupt, these two government offices have no reaction at all?
However, Luan He didn't need to answer this time. Guo Yu, standing by, sighed softly, "After the Southern Xiongnu rebellion, the General Protecting the Xiongnu and his troops were all killed in battle. The late emperor didn't appoint him again, allowing the Southern Xiongnu to occupy the area. As for the General Du Liao... Sigh!"

General Geng Zhi of Du Liao did not die in the rebellion of the Southern Xiongnu. In fact, after the rebellion of the Southern Xiongnu, he led his troops to flee to Hedong County and was lucky enough to survive.

However, when the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo, Hedong County was in turmoil, with all kinds of monsters and demons everywhere. Geng Zhi didn't know how he ran into the wandering Yu Fuluo's troops, and was attacked and killed by this remnant of the Southern Xiongnu.

Tsk, to be honest, this outcome is worse than dying in battle in Wuyuan County!

But it made no difference to Xu Rong. After learning that General Du Liao and General Protector of the Xiongnu had been abandoned, he rubbed his nose with a headache.

The only thing that made Xu Rong feel a little relieved was that after this incident, Guo Wei had come to his senses and expressed his willingness to surrender on the spot.

His words saved Xu Rong a lot of effort. He only needed to send people to take over the remaining thirteen counties of Yanmen.

However, the current situation was indeed somewhat complicated, and it was no longer something that his five thousand men could handle. After much deliberation, Xu Rong could only helplessly say, "Well, let's report this to the shogunate first!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao nodded in agreement. The situation in Bingzhou was too complicated, so it was better to be cautious.

……

Three days later, at Ji County Shogunate.

When Wei Zhe opened the secret military letter, he saw a line of thick and simple handwriting appear before his eyes:
General Xu Rong bows his head and kowtows again, and respectfully writes to the Left General Wei Gong:

Thanks to the general's divine power, he was honored to carry out his command and lead his troops to attack Yanmen. When the battle began, Guo Yu was completely defeated by the overwhelming force, and his entire army was completely defeated in the Battle of Pingcheng. Hearing of the general's prestige and virtue, Guo Yu repented and relinquished his official seal, opened the city gates, and surrendered to the general with the entire Yanmen County.

Furthermore, Yunzhong Governor Luan He, who admired the teachings of the wise ruler, led his county troops to the aid without waiting for an official announcement. He presented Yunzhong maps and records and sent eloquent men to persuade Wuyuan Governor Du Zan and Dingxiang Governor Ban Chen to surrender.

Today, the elders of the four counties have all brought food and drink to welcome the royal army, and all the cities in the northern border have hoisted the Han flag.

However, the situation in Bingzhou is extremely critical, so I dare to speak out with all my heart:

First, Shuofang and Shangjun have been reduced to ruins, and Xihe has lost seven or eight out of ten of its territory. The Southern Xiongnu chieftains have gathered a hundred thousand of their people and are entrenched in the bend of the Yellow River, slaughtering our border inhabitants by day and burning our fortifications by night.

Secondly, the Xianbei tribes outside the Great Wall are threatening us with fierce cavalry, and their iron cavalry could attack Wuyuan and Yunzhong at any moment. These two counties were recently annexed, their walls are dilapidated, and their granaries are empty, so I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long.
Third, although the counties south of Taiyuan were nominally under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, in reality the local warlords each held their own strongholds, paid no taxes, and did not recruit able-bodied men.

I am a humble warrior from the frontier, only versed in bows and horseback riding. Now, caught in this chaotic situation, I am truly terrified and at a loss as to what to do. In the past, Chen Ping devised strategies in the tent, and Zi Fang won battles a thousand miles away. I humbly ask for your profound foresight and unparalleled wisdom and strategy to help secure the border. If you can provide me with guidance, I will be honored to prepare my troops and horses and await your command.

I was terrified when reading this letter and bowed my head twice.

Respectfully submitted on the sixth month of the summer of the second year of Chuping
-
After reading it, Wei Zhe, who was originally in a good mood, suddenly frowned.

Even though he had anticipated the dangers posed by the Hu people in Bingzhou, he had not imagined the situation would be so critical.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but let out a sigh helplessly.

Seeing Xi Zhicai's curiosity, Wei Zhe immediately handed the letter over.

Unexpectedly, Xi Zhicai frowned and shook his head after reading it, saying, "Why is Xu Ziping so unwise?"

In Xi Zhicai's opinion, among the four Bingzhou counties that Xu Rong has captured, only Yanmen County is valuable. As for the other three counties, they are completely a burden and not worth wasting time and energy on.

Because Shangdang, Taiyuan and Yanmen counties are the core areas of Bingzhou, and the population of these three counties accounts for almost 80% of the entire Bingzhou, whoever takes these three counties is basically equivalent to holding Bingzhou.

Gao Gan has successfully taken control of Shangdang County and is now probably eyeing Taiyuan County.

At this time, Xu Rong should have immediately headed south to Taiyuan County.

As for Yunzhong and other counties, it is not that we should give up, but we can deal with them after taking Taiyuan and Shangdang.

Thinking of this, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but frown and said, "Mingsir, Yuan Benchu recently recommended Wang Rou as the General of the Guards to protect the Xiongnu, and recommended his brother Wang Ze as the Governor of Yanmen. This is obviously to win over the Wang family of Taiyuan. We really shouldn't cause any more trouble now, otherwise it will cause trouble!"

However, Wei Zhe shook his head after hearing this, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Wei Zhe knew clearly that the situation in Bingzhou could not be explained by common sense.

In fact, the situation in Bingzhou began to collapse after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang.

The more prestigious the Han Dynasty is, the more stable the situation in Bingzhou will be. Once the prestige of the Han Dynasty is completely gone, the situation in Bingzhou will be irreversible, and it is likely that the situation of the Three Kingdoms period will be created in the blink of an eye.

From this perspective, the situation in Bingzhou is indeed precarious.

If we don't take advantage of the fact that Bingzhou still has some remaining power of the Han Dynasty and make the Hu people afraid to act rashly, it will probably take ten or a hundred times more effort to recover the situation later.

The migration of the Hu people to the interior during the Western Jin Dynasty was actually the result of the continuous deterioration of border policies starting from Emperor Guangwu.

This huge bomb had even been buried during the Wang Mang period. Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu did not resolve it, nor did Cao Wei. Finally, after the Sima family's stupid actions, it directly led to a horrific disaster that has harmed China for five hundred years.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe immediately gave a decisive order:

"Tell Xu Rong and Zhang Liao not to worry; stabilizing the border is paramount. Order them to recruit volunteers from Bingzhou and march south to Taiyuan as quickly as possible. Don't waste time."

"Also, send a message to Taishi Ci to relocate 150,000 Yellow Turban captives from Qingzhou in three batches to Yunzhong, Dingxiang, and Wuyuan counties for farming."

Anyway, it is still a military farm in Qingzhou, and it is still a military farm in Bingzhou.

Even if the land in Qingzhou becomes barren, there is no need to worry about no one cultivating it in the future. After all, it is located in the Central Plains and it is easy to attract refugees.

But if we don't take advantage of this opportunity to fill Bingzhou with the people of Qingzhou, we will never have this opportunity again in the future.

If Wei Zhe had not been worried that the land in Yunzhong, Dingxiang and Wuyuan could not support more people, he would have even wanted to directly relocate 300,000 refugees from Qingzhou to Bingzhou to cultivate the land there.

Wei Zhe then instructed Tian Chou, who had just been appointed as a literary official, "Draft a memorial for me, recommending Guo Yu, the prefect of Yanmen, as the general of the Liao River, and Han Zhong, the military secretary, as the chief historian of the Liao River, to take charge of the military farming. I also recommend Cui Yan, the military supervisor, as the prefect of Yanmen, in charge of all Yanmen affairs."

Upon hearing this, Tian Chou thought about it for a moment and quickly drafted a memorial.

After Wei Zhe saw that there was no problem, he printed it and sent it out.

Seeing Wei Zhe's arrangement, Xi Zhicai suddenly became thoughtful.

Wei Zhe recommended Guo Fu as General Du Liao, obviously also trying to win over the Guo family of Taiyuan.

After all, the influence of Taiyuan Guo family is not inferior to that of Taiyuan Wang family, and may even surpass it.

If the Guo family of Taiyuan can be used by the shogunate, then in addition to being beneficial to the capture of Taiyuan County, it can also use the power of the Bingzhou gentry to deal with the various tribes of the Southern Xiongnu.

Thinking of this, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but show admiration on his face.

Although he was proud of his talent for managing the world, Xi Zhicai admired Wei Zhe very much when it came to planning the overall situation.

Compared with Wei Zhe, he is rather narrow-minded and too calculative.

Not to mention how the arrangements were made in Ji County, when Wei Zhe's order was delivered to Yinguan County, the seat of Yanmen County, Guo Yu indeed accepted the appointment with great excitement.

However, he wasn't excited about being appointed General Du Liao, but rather he was moved by Wei Zhe's courage in settling immigrants on the border. This feeling was probably something only the people of Bingzhou could understand...

(End of this chapter)