Han officials

Chapter 223 bestowing an honorific title [12]

Several months ago, Yuan Shao's envoy finally arrived at the border after overcoming numerous difficulties.

However, whether it was the Wuhuan or the Xianbei, they were all wolves in sheep's clothing.

Even though Yuan Shao had made extravagant promises to cede territory, the Xianbei and Wuhuan people were still somewhat uneasy.

Thus, the Xianbei and Wuhuan put forward almost the same condition without prior communication: a marriage alliance.

The only difference was that Kebineng and Budugen demanded that Yuan Shao's son marry a Xianbei woman.

On the Wuhuan side, Qiuliju sought a marriage for his son with a woman from the Yuan family as a form of protection.

This difference alone shows that the Xianbei and Wuhuan people had somewhat different mindsets.

However, Yuan Shao actually agreed to such an excessive request.

It can only be said that once a person's bottom line is crossed, there is no bottom line left to speak of.

Once the two sides have exchanged hostages and established a marriage alliance, the war will likely continue indefinitely.

It is precisely because of this that the Xianbei people would take the initiative to send people to Ji County to offer congratulations on the New Year.

Congratulating Wei Zhe was a pretense; the real purpose was to probe the strength and weaknesses of the Wei army.

……

During the banquet, Wei Zhe was unaware of this.

Looking at the seemingly respectful Tadun below, Wei Zhe couldn't help but smirk slightly.

This future Wuhuan king is quite interesting. Despite being a nomadic barbarian from beyond the Great Wall, he is fluent in Chinese and can even play drinking games.

If it weren't for his shaved head and braided hair, and his attire of non-Han people, some might believe he was a Han Chinese general.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe, seated at the head of the table, immediately narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile:

"Tadun, how is it here?"

Tadun was surprised that Wei Zhe would suddenly pay attention to him, and his heart immediately tightened.

However, on the surface he was full of envy and said, "How beautiful! Only today do I realize the splendor of Chinese clothing!"

Upon hearing this, a burst of laughter erupted around them, and the civil and military officials were clearly very satisfied with the answer.

However, Wei Zhe remained unmoved, and Ta Dun's excessive understanding made his smile gradually fade.

Wei Zhe looked at him with a half-smile and said, "If that's the case, do you still wish to return to the grasslands?"

Upon hearing this, Tadun broke out in a cold sweat.

Although Qiuliju, the leader of the Wuhuan tribe, is his uncle, he is currently only a minor leader in the tribe.

Moreover, Qiu Liju is in his prime, and his own son, Lou Ban, is a healthy and chubby boy. No matter how you look at it, he has no chance of taking over.

If Wei Zhe were to find an excuse to kill him, his uncle probably wouldn't dare to say anything.

Although he didn't know why, his beastly intuition made Tadun sense killing intent from Wei Zhe.

In a flash, he immediately downed a cup of wine and said happily:

"I'm so happy here, I don't even miss the grasslands!"

After saying this, the man actually stood up and stepped forward, performing a Hu dance in accordance with the customs of the Wuhuan people to celebrate Wei Zhe's birthday.

May the general live a long and prosperous life, and enjoy endless happiness!

To be honest, her dance moves were quite bold and beautiful, comparable to the dancers of the Music Bureau.

Since Tadun had not prepared any birthday gifts in advance, driven by his survival instinct, he knelt on the ground and said with a face full of reverence:

"When the general resided in Youzhou, all four directions were at peace. Natural disasters disappeared and man-made calamities were averted. He is truly a man of divine intervention!"

"Today, I dare to request the honorific title of 'Heavenly General' to demonstrate your majesty!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent for a moment, but then quickly became agitated. The leaders of the fourteen kingdoms of Andong, which had split from Goguryeo, immediately stepped forward to echo his sentiments.

Seeing this, the people of Buyeo naturally dared not neglect their duties and immediately followed the trend.

Seeing this, the few remaining Xianbei envoys no longer dared to sit openly in their seats.

This sight immediately filled the faces of everyone in the hall with pride and joy.

After all, the Chinese have always valued winning people over with virtue, and if they don't submit, they'll beat them until they do.

The fact that the surrounding barbarians were now offering Wei Zhe an honorific title naturally excited everyone.

Therefore, led by Xi Zhicai, all the civil and military officials immediately stepped forward and knelt down to request:

"We humbly beseech Your Excellency to recapture Luoyang in the north and eliminate the wicked. Now, the unruly people of all directions have turned to righteousness and request that you be granted the title of 'Heavenly General' to demonstrate your majesty!"

As everyone shouted in unison, the sound shook the house and echoed throughout the surrounding area.

Wei Zhe, who was sitting on the couch above, was somewhat surprised by the sight, but he could only laugh and accept the invitation from the others.

Anyway, he's just a "Heavenly General," not the emperor, so there's no need for him to ask for the position three times and decline it three times.

However, after this incident, the already lively New Year's Day celebrations became even more lively.

Before the banquet was even over, news of the unexpected turn of events spread throughout Ji County, and the whole city was filled with toasts.

After all, if we were to talk about who supported Wei Zhe the most, it would undoubtedly be the people of Youzhou.

A ruler who is both a capable military leader and kind to his people is a rare find in today's world.

In no time, the title of "Heavenly General" spread to all the counties and prefectures, adding even more topics of conversation to the already lively New Year celebrations.

……

Meanwhile, while the people around them were filled with pride, one person in the backyard of the shogunate was filled with anxiety.

Tadun racked his brains but couldn't understand why Wei Zhe was deliberately picking on him.

He believed he had handled the situation very appropriately, showing none of the unruly behavior typical of the Hu people.

Since they've already submitted so readily, why keep targeting them?

Just as Tadun was lost in thought, he heard a steady series of footsteps approaching.

Tadun dared not think too much and immediately prostrated himself on the ground respectfully, indicating his submission.

To Tadun's dismay, Wei Zhe remained silent for a long time after sitting down.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like there was a gaze constantly fixed on his neck.

This filled Tadun with immense fear, and his awe of Wei Zhe reached its peak, as sweat gradually soaked through his entire body.

Previously, he only knew that this General Zuo was a good fighter, but now Tadun realized that what was even more terrifying was his cunning – you could never guess what he was thinking!
The Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) states:

If punishment is unknown and authority is unfathomable, the people will fear their superiors.

This statement is not actually a sage's admonition, but rather a summary of human nature.

This experience applies to virtually all relationships between superiors and subordinates.

Officials treat the common people this way, but aren't they the same way in front of the emperor?
Fortunately, Wei Zhe had no intention of ruining his reputation.

Putting everything else aside, given Tadun's outstanding performance in court today, Wei Zhe wouldn't kill him at this moment.

Clear rewards and punishments are secondary; the main thing is that there must be at least a plausible reason for killing someone.

Otherwise, it would be like what happened after Wang Mang usurped the throne, where he clearly possessed the world but was repeatedly defeated by barbarians from all sides.

When sweat was almost dripping from Tadun's forehead, Wei Zhe, sitting on the couch, finally said softly:
"Tadun, do you want to be the leader of the Wuhuan?"

(End of this chapter)