Han officials

Chapter 233 The Hu Troubles of Bingzhou [3.5K]

When Wei Zhe ordered Yan Rou, Tadun, and others to pursue Kebineng, he did not actually expect them to capture him.

If the wolf king of the grasslands cannot be hunted down on the battlefield, then pursuing and killing him on the grasslands will inevitably come at a great cost.

The reason he ordered Yan Rou and the others to pursue relentlessly was to prevent Ke Bin from calmly gathering his remaining troops.

Heads littered the battlefield, the remaining flesh fed to pigs and dogs.

As it turned out, Yan Rou and the others did a pretty good job.

Because the Han army was relentlessly pursuing Kebineng, many Xianbei tribal soldiers simply gave up the option of returning to their units.

Clearly, as the Wolf King's prestige declined, the Xianbei warriors began to hesitate when faced with life and death.

Even the Xianbei cavalry that initially retreated from the battlefield with Kebineng gradually chose to part ways with Kebineng under the pursuit of the Han army.

In the end, the number of cavalrymen who fled with Kebineng to the border of Bingzhou was less than ten thousand.

……

"Kebineng must have gone to seek refuge with the brothers Budugen and Fuluohan."

In the Xianbei king's tent, Yan Rou, the "know-it-all of the grasslands," shared his deductions.

After all, apart from the western Xianbei who have migrated to the west of the Yellow River, the brothers Budugen and Fuluohan are the most powerful among the Xianbei people today.

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng immediately expressed his doubt:
"Weren't Kebineng and Budugen mortal enemies?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Rou explained with a serious expression:
"This has always been the way of the Hu people; kneeling down to show submission to their former adversaries is not unacceptable to them."

"Modu Chanyu was once a stable boy of the Donghu king, but he was still regarded as a hero by the Hu people on the grassland."

Of course, there were certain risks involved in Kebineng joining his old rival, Budugen.

If it weren't for the fact that he still had nearly ten thousand cavalrymen under his command, Kebineng probably wouldn't have dared to roam around Budugen's territory.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe frowned slightly, as it would increase his pressure.

It should be noted that after the Northern Xiongnu were driven to Central Asia by the Han army in the third year of Yongyuan (91 AD), the Xianbei took the opportunity to occupy the grasslands beyond the Great Wall, annexed more than 100,000 remaining Xiongnu tribes, and thus dominated the grasslands.

Furthermore, in the sixth year of Yongyuan (94 AD), the Northern Xiongnu, consisting of fifteen tribes and over 200,000 people who had surrendered to the Han Dynasty, rebelled. The imperial court in Luoyang mobilized the Xianbei army under the command of the Xianbei Grand Protector, Subahui, to quell the rebellion. At the time, it was reported that more than 20,000 heads were taken, but in reality, the vast majority of the Xiongnu prisoners were assimilated and absorbed by the Xianbei.

In fact, the Xianbei people grew up entirely on the shoulders of the Xiongnu.

In a sense, this also signifies the failure of the Luoyang court's grassland strategy.

In an attempt to eliminate the Xiongnu, they ended up supporting the Xianbei, a dominant force on the steppes. This was undoubtedly a foolish move.

In this process, the Han people did not truly change the situation on the grasslands, except for expending a lot of manpower and resources.

This made Wei Zhe even more cautious when dealing with the Xianbei tribes under his command.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe frowned and said, "Clean up the tribes around Tanhan Mountain as soon as possible. If any remnants of Kebineng's tribe continue to be stubborn and unruly, drive the prisoners and slaughter them...start from the area around the royal court!"

There was no other way; the most direct and effective way to divide and win over others was to pledge allegiance.

Whether or not the Xianbei prisoners were willing to serve him, they would eventually feel a bit wary when their hands were stained with the blood of their own kind, and at the very least, other Xianbei people would reject and suspect them.

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, Yan Rou and the others immediately understood.

In the following days, Yan Rou, Zhao Yun, and other Han generals swept through the tribes surrounding Tanhan Mountain.

In ten days, 50,000 Xianbei households were captured. Only a small number of Xianbei tribes drove their cattle and sheep to escape into the depths of the desert, while some tribes preferred to surrender to the Han people rather than venture into the desert.

After all, surrendering to the Han people might not necessarily mean death, but venturing deep into the desert during this season could mean certain death.

Meanwhile, the Youzhou garrison, located downstream of the Chuqiu River, finally arrived at Tanhan Mountain.

Since Tanhan Mountain is only 300 li away from the Great Wall of Dai County, it is too close, so Wei Zhe does not intend to give up this time.

Five thousand soldiers and twenty thousand laborers will build "Dingbei City" on Tanhan Mountain as a stronghold for the Han people to advance and as a future garrison for the Xianbei commander.

Before this chaotic war came to an end, these Xianbei people could only temporarily serve as herdsmen for the Han people.

However, when Wei Zhe achieved a great victory over Kebineng at Tanhan Mountain, the situation in Bingzhou became increasingly dire.

……

Bingzhou, Xihe Commandery.

Meiji County, the court of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu.

"The infighting among the Han people is a golden opportunity for our people. If we don't send troops now, are we going to wait for them to produce another Liu Bang?"

The speaker was a stout middle-aged man, Liu Bao, the leader of the Tu Ge tribe.

The Tu Ge tribe, sometimes also called Tu Ge Hu or Xiu Tu Hu, was a separate group of Xiongnu people.

During the Former Han Dynasty, among the royal families of the Xiongnu, there was a king named Xiutu, who led the Xiutu, Dugu, and Tuge tribes. Later, the famous Jin, Dugu, and Liu clans originated from the Xiutu king's tribe.

Jin Midi, one of the three trusted ministers entrusted by Emperor Wu of Han, was a prisoner of Huo Qubing, the son of the King of Xiutu and the Marquis of Champion.

It was precisely for this reason that, although the Xiongnu declined, the status of the Tu Ge tribe among the Xiongnu rose instead.

As Liu Bao finished speaking, several young tribal leaders nodded in agreement.

"Bingzhou has always been the land of our clan. Taking it now will be a way to comfort our ancestors."

"Excellent! Take Bingzhou and let the Xiongnu be great again!"

As each tribal chief shared their views, the atmosphere inside the tent instantly became excited.

After the Xiongnu migrated to the heart of Bingzhou, the position of Chanyu was originally controlled by the Han court.

For example, in the first year of Guanghe reign of Emperor Ling (178), the Southern Chanyu died. According to Xiongnu custom, his son, Huzheng Chanyu, succeeded him. However, less than a year later, Huzheng Chanyu was killed by Zhang Xiu, the Protector-General of the Xiongnu, and the Right Wise King Qiangqu was supported as the new Chanyu.
Before Zhang Xiu, the Xiongnu general had repeatedly intervened militarily in the selection of the Xiongnu royal court's successor, supporting a "pro-Han" Xiongnu puppet to take the throne.

Therefore, although the Xiongnu were indeed able to recuperate after their migration, their internal structure gradually became fractured.

It's not hard to imagine that these Xiongnu nobles, who were supported by the Han court to rise to power, were definitely pro-Han in their stance. This is also why, after Qiangqu Chanyu succeeded to the throne, he resolutely sent troops to help the Han army quell the Zhang Chun Rebellion.

Even though Qiangqu Chanyu would also allow his people to plunder Han people, he was indeed a pro-Han figure.

Political stances and daily behavior are mostly unrelated.

Therefore, when Yufuluo led his troops out to assist the Han army in quelling the rebellion, internal turmoil broke out among the Xiongnu.

The Tuge Hu, in alliance with the Huyan clan of the left wing of the Southern Xiongnu, first killed the Qiangqu Chanyu, and then killed Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou.

This reveals that the Tu Ge Hu and the left-wing nobles of the Xiongnu were on the opposite side of Qiangqu Chanyu.

In the eyes of most Xiongnu nobles, Qiangqu and his son were illegitimate in their accession to the throne, betrayed the interests of the Xiongnu, and willingly served as henchmen of the Han court, and were unworthy to be the Xiongnu Chanyu.

Thus, the people of the Xiongnu killed their king and jointly established Xubuguduhou as Chanyu.

Because the left wing of the Southern Xiongnu was led by the Huyan clan, while the right wing was led by the Lan and Xubu clans.

The appointment of Xubuguduhou to the position was clearly a political deal within the Southern Xiongnu.

Otherwise, Qiangqu Chanyu would not have been killed so easily by his own people without causing any trouble.

Of course, this result is not surprising.

After all, Qiangqu Chanyu did not have the support of the powerful faction of the Southern Xiongnu, but only succeeded to the throne through the forceful intervention of the Han court. Therefore, it is not surprising that when the Han territory was in turmoil and the influence of the Han court declined, Qiangqu Chanyu was attacked and retaliated against by the Xiongnu nobles.

However, the "Xubu Gudu Hou" who replaced Qiangqu did not last long, and died after only one year in office.

The most interesting thing is that after the death of Xubuguduhou Chanyu, the Southern Xiongnu actually started a "republic".

Instead of electing a new Chanyu, the nobles of the Xiongnu royal court acted as regents.

The emergence of the "aristocratic council" model further divided the Southern Xiongnu.

For example, as the Tu Ge tribe gained more and more freedom, more and more people began to call them "Tu Ge Hu".

Liu Bao was originally the leader of the Tu Ge tribe, and his wife was a noblewoman from the Huyan clan.

When the Tu Ge tribe joined forces with the left wing of the Southern Xiongnu, the right wing naturally became a minority.

Although named a "different branch of the Xiongnu," it now resembles the uncrowned king of the Southern Xiongnu.

As for the father-son relationship between Yu Fuluo and Liu Bao, it is similar to the rumor that "Sun Jian obtained the Imperial Seal of the State".

It looks plausible, but it's actually completely illogical.

It should be noted that the political stance of the Tu Ge Hu was completely opposite to that of the Qiang Qu and Yu Fu Luo father and son.

Under such circumstances, how could Liu Bao possibly accompany Yufuluo on his wanderings in the Central Plains?
Therefore, Liu Bao's suggestion was quickly passed at the "Noble Council".

Even the pro-Han tribes of Xubu, Qiulin, and Lan are now unable to resist changing their stance.

After all, the Han people looked incredibly weak, and it would be a shame not to take a big bite out of them now.

In particular, Yuan Shao's alliance with the Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes of the northern grasslands to attack Youzhou completely eliminated their last trace of fear.

Thus, when the Battle of Tanhan Mountain broke out, the Southern Xiongnu cavalry went everywhere and began to frantically attack the counties and prefectures of Bingzhou.

Within a few days, all the counties in the southern part of Xihe Commandery were captured, and the entire Xihe Commandery fell to the enemy.

Even the cavalry of the Southern Xiongnu began to enter the Sili region and began to spy on the Hedong Commandery.

If the Southern Xiongnu were to occupy either Luoyang or Chang'an, the prestige of the Han people over the past four hundred years would likely vanish.

At the same time, the four commanderies of Yunzhong, Dingxiang, Wuyuan, and Yanmen to the north were also frequently attacked by the Xiongnu.

The same applies to Taiyuan and Shangdang, which were also within the attack range of the Southern Xiongnu.

It can only be said that this unprecedented large-scale chaotic war in the north gave the Xiongnu people great confidence.

Yuan Shao may not have gained anything, but his actions certainly caused the Han people to lose a great deal!

For example, Zhang Liao and Xu Rong, under the combined attack of the Xiongnu and Xianbei, had no choice but to abandon the most remote Wuyuan County and lead the soldiers and civilians of Yunzhong to retreat to Yunzhong County.

There was no other way; although there were 150,000 more refugees from Qingzhou, there were simply too many enemies.

To some extent, Yuan Shao and the Southern Xiongnu were also allies.

Because while the Wei army in Bingzhou was dealing with the siege by the Xianbei and Xiongnu, the Yuan army in Shangdang was also attacking the Wei army, so they were surrounded by enemies on three sides. If it weren't for the five thousand Bingzhou volunteers that Zhang Liao had recruited earlier fighting with all their might, Taiyuan County would probably have been completely occupied by Gao Gan by now.

Among these Bingzhou righteous followers, Chang Lin and Hao Zhao stood out the most.

Hao Zhao joined the army at a young age and rose through the ranks from a common soldier to a commander, making him a typical soldier.

So after Zhang Liao led his troops into Taiyuan, Hao Zhao simply led his troops to join him and was appointed as a separate commander.

As for Chang Lin, he was originally from Wen County, Henan Commandery. Due to Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule, he moved to Shangdang to avoid the chaos and farmed in the mountains. After Gao Gan was appointed as the governor of Bingzhou by Yuan Shao, he once submitted a memorial recommending Chang Lin as a cavalry commander. However, after hearing this, Chang Lin not only did not accept the appointment, but also abandoned his family property and fled to Yanmen Commandery overnight.

The reason was simple: Chang Lin despised Yuan Shao's attack on Han Fu and therefore avoided him like the plague.

When Zhang Liao heard this, he was overjoyed and went to greet him personally, appointing him as the Assistant Commander of Bingzhou on the spot.

It was with the assistance of Chang Lin and Hao Zhao, one a civil official and the other a military commander, that the Wei army in Bingzhou was able to hold onto the four counties of Taiyuan they occupied, allowing Zhang Liao to confidently defend against the Xiongnu and Xu Rong to calmly fight against the Xianbei.

Even so, the pressure on the Wei army in Bingzhou was increasing, and they were beginning to feel overwhelmed...
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It's impossible for a eunuch to become a eunuch.

I'd rather write slowly, but I'll finish this story.

This book was indeed written with limited ability and was very difficult, but I believe the experience will not be wasted and the next one will be better.

As for this book, I've given up the full attendance bonus so I can research and come up with stories without any pressure.

Write slowly, the story will eventually come to life on paper...

(End of this chapter)