Han officials

Chapter 246 The Grassland Troublemaker [12]

Holding a grassland conference on the shores of Beihai Lake is both difficult and easy.

Ultimately, it all boils down to "strength," and specifically, visible strength!

Although the Han Dynasty is far away, Wei Zhe is very close, practically within arm's reach.

Even though the Han army that arrived in Beihai this time numbered only over 20,000, they were elite troops capable of cutting through the grasslands.

After gathering the remnants of Budugen's army and the Xianbei tribes around Langjuxu Mountain, Wei Zhe had a total of over 70,000 men and women.

In this way, the Dingling tribes were less there to participate in the grassland conference and more there to pay protection money.

……

The sky was clear and the air was fresh that day.

On the vast shores of Beihai Lake, a wooden city rises abruptly from the ground.

It's called a wooden city, but it's really just a wooden stockade, except that the outer wooden fence is a bit high.

Wei Zhe didn't know how others did it, but he had never been careless in setting up camp since he joined the army.

Especially now that there's so much free labor available, he's even less likely to hesitate.

After the leaders of the six Dingling tribes, including the Dili, Yuanhe, Huli, Jiepi, Hugu, and Yiqijin, all arrived, Wei Zhe didn't waste any words and directly expressed his opinions.

Inside the spacious tent, Wei Zhe, seated high above, spoke solemnly:
"The Great Han Dynasty has always had established rules for governing the four barbarian tribes. Those who bow down and submit to the emperor are granted titles and seals, and officials are appointed to protect them. Now that the Dingling tribes have submitted to the king's rule, I will naturally protect you."

"Therefore, I will now build Huaiyuan City on the sunny side of Beihai, and Zhenbei City at the foot of Langjuxu Mountain, so that it can watch over Shoujiang City in the south of the desert. I will also set up the Beihai Protectorate in Zhenbei City to oversee the defense of the three cities."

"From this day forward, all Dingling tribes shall graze their horses under the jurisdiction of the Beihai Protectorate and hunt along the banks of the Gonglu River. They shall not invade or rebel against each other for generations, and thus enjoy lasting peace."

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, the leaders of the Dingling tribes inside the tent were overjoyed.

Before anyone else could react, Busabo was the first to kneel down.

"The general's kindness is as vast as the North Sea. The Dingling people will surely follow the general for generations to come, and never change their ways!"

He was just saying it, but he actually acted like he was so moved he was crying his eyes out, which was disgusting to watch.

However, while the other Dingling tribal leaders were complaining, they also smoothly knelt down and pledged their loyalty.

After all, the vast grasslands that were once out of reach have now become the nomadic lands of the Dingling people, which is a very generous gift for them.

But just as these burly men with thick eyebrows and big eyes were vying to flatter him, Wei Zhe waved his hand and continued:
"No need for further explanation, my gifts are not as cheap as dirt."

"From now on, you must uphold your duties as subjects, never forget the annual tribute, and remember your oath. If the Xianbei raid again, you may send an urgent message into the border, and I will surely send elite cavalry and elite troops to attack them. However, if you secretly collude with the Xianbei, rob caravans, or plunder Han lands, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will kill you, just like the case of Budugen!"

At this point, Wei Zhe narrowed his eyes, revealing his murderous intent.

The tribal leaders, including Dili and Huli, felt a pang of anxiety. They immediately remembered the bloodstains still on the grassland and hastily swore a solemn oath, pointing to the sky and drawing lines on the ground.

In short, the Dingling people will become the dogs of the Han... oh no, General Wei.

As long as Wei Zhe gives the order, all the Dingling tribes will go through fire and water without hesitation.

Wei Zhe didn't say anything upon hearing this, but simply nodded slightly.

Then, amidst the expectant gazes of the tribal chiefs, Wei Zhe slowly began to speak:

"In view of the merits of the Yuanhe clan in capturing and killing the Xianbei bandit leader Budugen, Busabo is hereby appointed as the Grand Protector of the North Sea, leading his tribe to garrison in Zhenbei City, and protecting the north and south of Langjuxu Mountain." "Bayar is appointed as the Left Protector, leading the Hugu clan to garrison in Shoujiang City in the south of the Gobi Desert, to guard the emperor for generations."

"Hu Xue was appointed Right Protector-General and led the various tribes of the Huli clan to garrison Huaiyuan City in Beihai to guard the boundary markers. The markers were destroyed and the city was abandoned!"

The so-called Left and Right Protectors were actually the deputy protectors of the Grand Protector.

Despite Wei Zhe's words that he would concede the title of Dingling King to Sabo, he never truly intended to create a genuine Dingling King.

It should be understood that human nature is inherently insatiable.

If he doesn't have two deputies watching him closely, who knows if Busabo might act impulsively?

Only when Sassapa understands that he can be replaced at any time will he know what he should and should not do.

Besides, Nan Dingling was one of the earliest followers of Wei Zhe, so it was only right to let him reside in Shoujiang City.

Moreover, Yinshan is already the limit for Han troops to be stationed in the area. Even though Shoujiang City, north of Yinshan, is currently occupied by the Han army, it is basically impossible to station troops there for a long time under the current conditions.

This has nothing to do with individual talent, but is determined by the current social productivity.

Even a thousand years later, no Han dynasty managed to station troops north of the Yin Mountains.

The Yinshan Mountains, stretching for over two thousand miles, have served as the dividing line between agricultural and nomadic civilizations for nearly two thousand years.

For example, during the Ming Dynasty, the Hetao Plain on the southern slope of the Yinshan Mountains became the focus of contention between the Han and Mongol peoples.

During the Yongle reign, the Ming Dynasty did control the southern border region of Yinshan.

However, after the Xuande Emperor implemented the policy of "abandoning the borders," he tacitly allowed the Tatars to occupy the southern border of Yinshan. Yinshan then became part of the Mongol "Yinshan Corridor," and the Han Chinese army retreated back inside the Great Wall, causing Yinshan to gradually lose its protective role as it had during the Qin and Han dynasties.

Wei Zhe established the Beihai Protectorate precisely for this reason.

He couldn't station troops in Shoujiang City north of Yinshan for long, let alone in Langjuxu Mountain deep in the northern desert.

Rather than letting the central Xianbei, or the western and eastern Xianbei, occupy the area again after the Han army leaves, Wei Zhe might as well take advantage of the fact that these areas are still under the control of the Han army and directly appoint the next master.

Call him a troublemaker on the grasslands or a referee from beyond the Great Wall, but he could never return Langjuxu Mountain to the Xianbei.

As long as the Zhenbei Protectorate of the Dingling people exists, the Eastern and Western Xianbei will never be able to unify.

His attitude towards the grasslands has remained unchanged throughout:
That is, there can be nomadic peoples beyond the Great Wall, but no steppe overlords will be allowed to emerge.

To achieve this goal, the grasslands must maintain a "diversified" and "differentiated" development.

The more diverse the ethnic groups on the grasslands, the more dispersed their influence, and the easier it is to implement the "grassland balance" strategy.

In fact, now is the best time to address the grassland issue.

After centuries of dominance, the Xiongnu were finally wiped out by successive attacks during the Han Dynasty. The Xianbei people were also fragmented and leaderless, and no cohesive and influential dominant ethnic group emerged on the grasslands.

In this context, it is still possible for Wei Zhe to maintain the division of the grasslands through a "diversification" strategy.

Once the Mongols rose to power and swept across Eurasia, talk of "diversity" in the steppes became virtually impossible. The Mongols' influence in this regard was profound. And it wasn't just in China; they left a far-reaching impact not only in Central Asia and Eurasia.

From this perspective, the grassland border troubles faced by the Ming Dynasty were among the most difficult to deal with in any dynasty throughout history.

(End of this chapter)