The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 574 Refugee Group

The Duan tribe was in Liaoxi County, while the Murong tribe was in Changping County, which was further east.

After making preparations, Wen Yang led 500 elite cavalrymen and set off towards Liaoxi County.

The Duan and Murong tribes were Xianbei tribes living within the territory of the Wei Dynasty.

But they are different from the Huns.

The Xiongnu were defeated by Cao Cao, who detained their Chanyu, made them live outside the city, sent officials to keep an eye on them, and puppetized their leader.

The Xianbei people were given the opportunity to settle here because of their merits.

When Sima Yi came here to attack the Gongsun clan, he got help from these two Xianbei tribes. They fought for Cao Wei many times and made many contributions.

Later, when Guanqiu Jian went to war against Goguryeo, Murong Xianbei also served at his side and helped Guanqiu Jian to capture the capital of Goguryeo.

In order to commend their contributions, Sima Yi wrote a letter to confer the title of King of Ruyi on Mohuba, a Xianbei leader of the Murong tribe, and allowed his tribe to live around Liaodong.

Although Duan Bu was not given the treatment of being crowned king, he was allowed to stay and live in Liaoxi County.

The first place Wen Yang went to was Duan's department.

After heading north from Yan State, there were basically no people on the road, and the post houses along the way were abandoned.

This is also thanks to Sima Yi's benevolent rule when he was fighting against the Gongsun clan!
He massacred people in the city and killed people, and there were almost no Han people to be seen outside the Yan State.

When Wen Yang led the cavalry here, he could especially feel the gap. When they arrived at the nearest county town, there were not many people in the county town. It looked empty, like a ghost town.

Youzhou was once very lively. During the late Han Dynasty, a large number of people from the Central Plains fled to Youzhou, making the entire Youzhou lively. But now, the area north of Yan State is full of ghost towns.

The local county magistrate led everyone to pay a visit to Wen Yang.

The county magistrate here was a tall, thin young scholar, probably only about thirty years old.

"Meet the General!"

Wen Yang looked at the officials around him. For some reason, the officials here always looked a little poor.

Their clothes looked a little worn out.

"Stand up, are you the Magistrate Gongsun here?"

"Exactly."

The Gongsun clan is a big clan in Youzhou. Although they have suffered several massacres, they are still a big clan here.

Wen Yang walked into the city, and the county magistrate followed him.

Wen Yang couldn't help but frown. The city was extremely desolate and there were almost no people to be seen.

“Has it always been like this here?”

Magistrate Gongsun wanted to say something, but he held back, "It's been like this for over ten years."

"It's so desolate! Yongliang is better than here."

Wen Yang muttered a few words before following the county magistrate and others back to the county government office.

The county government office here was also in a dilapidated state. Wen Yang saw that even a section of the wall had collapsed.

Wen Yang was immediately displeased. He sat in the upper seat and sternly questioned, "It's been over ten years since the war. You've been so negligent! Why haven't you put your heart into governing?"

Hearing this, the county magistrate sighed again.

"General, over the years, the government has never provided any relief, let alone cared about my appointment here. Farmland has been left barren, the people have fled, and the county magistrate has submitted petitions several times, but has received no response. If you wish to blame us for this, we are willing to accept the punishment!"

Wen Yang was suddenly speechless. He looked at the people in front of him, and their faces were full of dejection.

It was an indescribable emotion. They looked very depressed, with no light in their eyes.

When Wen Yang was in the Central Plains, even when facing corrupt officials, he did not feel this kind of decadence from them, but rather a different kind of passion.

But when he saw these people, Wen Yang fell silent.

It seems that I still have to write a letter to His Majesty and explain the situation here.

Wen Yang silently noted these down and then asked about the situation of the Xianbei.

"Duanbu?"

Upon hearing Wen Yang's question, the county magistrate said seriously, "The Duan tribe of the Xianbei have lived here for many years and are relatively peaceful."

County Magistrate Gongsun told Wen Yang the origin of the Duan tribe.

He said: "The leader of the Duan tribe is called Rilujuan. The Xianbei people use the name of their tribe as their surname. He is also called Duan Rilujuan. When he was young, he was sold to the Wuhuan Dakui official in Yuyang as a domestic slave."

"I heard that once the chiefs of the Wuhuan tribes gathered together. All of them had spittoons, except Ku Ruguan, who did not. He spat into Rilujuan's mouth, but Rilujuan swallowed it, bowed to the sky toward the west, and said, 'May all the wisdom and fortune of my lord be transferred into my belly.'"

Wen Yang frowned subconsciously and felt a little nauseous.

The county magistrate continued, "Because of this incident, he gained his master's trust. Later, when famine struck Yuyang, his master allowed him to take some people to live in western Liaoning. Rilujuan was strong and recruited refugees there, leading them in farming and hunting, and gradually established his own tribe."

"The Duan tribe is different from the other tribes. There are huge differences."

Wen Yang nodded and said, "I can hear it, there is indeed a big difference."

County Magistrate Gongsun said seriously, "General, you may not know that many Hu people are organized around blood ties and tribes." "These Hu people have their own characteristics, but the Duan tribe is not. They are a tribe formed based on region. Many Hu people within them speak the Liaoxi dialect. Their leader is a Xianbei, but he has all kinds of people under his command, even Han people. Therefore, other Xianbei tribes do not recognize them as Xianbei."

"They used western Liaoning as their base, recruiting people without farmland or food. They gradually grew in size and now have over 30,000 households and 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers."

After County Magistrate Gongsun said this, Wen Yang understood.

The Duan tribe was more of an alliance of refugees from western Liaoning than a Xianbei tribe.

"So they won't migrate?"

"General, they all mainly work on farming."

Wen Yang laughed. "I understand now. I want to go to their tribe to meet their leader. Please send someone to guide me!"

County Magistrate Gongsun hurriedly saluted.

"only."

Wen Yang stood up and was about to leave, but suddenly stopped and looked at him.

"Don't worry, His Majesty will not ignore this place. Soon, you will have the opportunity to shine."

After Wen Yang finished speaking, he left in a hurry.

Wen Yang did not rest. Under the guidance of the guide, he set off towards the city of Duanbu Xianbei.

The county magistrate did not deceive him. When Wen Yang approached Duan's tribe, he saw many people working in the fields. Judging from their clothes, they were no different from the Han people, but when they saw Wen Yang, they were extremely frightened.

Shortly after Wen Yang approached them, cavalry quickly blocked their way.

Wen Yang looked at these people.

They are not even a little bit inferior to the Tuoba Xianbei.

Their horses were very thin, and the cavalry's weapons were of various kinds. It seemed that they had hardly received any training. They were just a group of herdsmen who had temporarily become an army.

Real cavalry are completely different from herdsmen.

Wen Yang could see it at a glance.

After stopping Wen Yang, these people did not dare to be rude to him. The leader was very cautious. He looked at Wen Yang in front of him timidly, and then looked at the flags they had raised.

The man slowly stepped forward and asked, "Which General Wen is this?"

Wen Yang frowned, "General Pingbei Wen Yang is here!!"

Wen Yang's voice was extremely loud, and after he roared, the man opposite him almost lost control of the horse under his crotch.

The man quickly jumped off his horse, led many knights, and stepped forward to pay his respects.

Wen Yang looked at the people in front of him. From their appearance and clothing, he really couldn't tell their ethnicity.

The man smiled widely and said, "My name is Zhou Cheng, and I'm here to meet you, General."

"Han people?"

"People from Liaoxi, people from Liaoxi, General, you are here to look for the leader of my tribe?"

"Exactly."

"I'll lead the way for the general!"

The man quickly stretched out his hand and led Wen Yang's horse, then gave a few instructions to the people around him and started walking on the road.

Wen Yang just felt strange and did not interrupt the other party. When they staggered to the city gate, a man led many nobles and rushed out, hurried to pay their respects.

"Duan Qizhen pays homage to General Pingbei!!"

This person is none other than the Lord of Duan Department, he is the younger brother of Duan Rilujuan.

This man did not look like a tribal chief at all. He was short and fat, with a round belly and a kind smile on his face. He looked more like a businessman than a chief.

He bowed respectfully to Wen Yang. Wen Yang did not speak, and he did not even dare to raise his head.

Wen Yang got off the horse and walked up to him with a swagger.

Wen Yang was extremely tall, and standing in front of Duan Qizhen, he looked very oppressive.

Wen Yang pulled him up and said with a smile, "Why are you like this, Mr. Duan? Please stand up."

Duan Qizhen smiled and raised his head. "We didn't know the general was coming and didn't go to greet him. It was really rude of us. Please enter the city!"

This section of the Xianbei tribe never showed any hostility towards Wen Yang. Under their leadership, Wen Yang walked into the city. Their city seemed to be much more lively than the original city.

It’s simply unbelievable!
Wen Yang was led into a large mansion, where their masters lived. Duan Qizhen hurriedly summoned many nobles in the tribe to come and welcome Wen Yang.

After entering the mansion, Duan Qizhen let Wen Yang sit in the upper seat, and he just sat next to him.

Seeing the other party being so respectful, Wen Yang, who had originally wanted to find some trouble, felt too embarrassed to do so.

How come these people seem more honest than the Huns?
Soon, everyone in the tribe arrived. There were people wearing all kinds of clothes, including all kinds of nobles. Wen Yang could also understand why the other Xianbei tribes did not recognize them very much.

Duan Qizhen looked at the tall and mighty general beside him and asked timidly, "General, you have come from afar. What are your instructions?"

(End of this chapter)