The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 792 How are you so skilled?
"Your Majesty, I have no objection to the claim that the Xiongnu are the remnants of the Xia Dynasty. I also agree that the Qiang are descendants of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but how did this Xianbei become the legitimate tribe?"

At this moment, two well-known scholars in Wei were sitting opposite Cao Mao, feeling very confused.

These two great scholars, one was called Ma Zhao, yes, the only difference between him and that old friend was that he died, and the other was called Zhang Rong.

It is worth mentioning that both of them are loyal supporters of Zheng Xue.

Even though the government has always promoted Wang's school of thought, the influence of Zheng's school of thought cannot be underestimated. Many famous scholars have emerged, and when Sun Yan is gone, there are others to replace him.

When Cao Mao heard that these two people wanted to see him, he thought they were going to study the Bamboo Annals. Unexpectedly, they came for Ruan Ji's matter.

Ruan Ji summoned his writers and began compiling books to trace the past and evolution of the various ethnic groups in the country.

Of course this matter cannot be concealed.

Ruan Ji did it in a very high-profile manner and also invited a large number of famous people from various ethnic groups.

For example, the Xianbei's Desert Khan, the Xiongnu's Liu Xuan, the Di people's Li Mu, the Qiang people's Yao Kehui, and so on.

As for why there is no Capricorn.

In fact, the Jie was just a tribe of the Xiongnu at that time, and a tribe with a relatively low status among the Xiongnu.

They were once used as slave soldiers by the Xiongnu nobles.

The later leader Shi Le, whose father and grandfather were both commanders of the tribe, still had to go to Luoyang in person to sell goods. This shows that their living environment was actually not good, and they were also restricted and managed by the Huns.

After Ruan Ji gathered these people together, he continued to discuss the tracing work and at the same time proposed surnames for each tribe.

Those who had no names were given surnames, and the original several major surnames were uniformly replaced.

This incident caused quite a bit of impact in Luoyang.

Most people still feel curious and interesting, and don't think there is anything wrong with it.

However, there are also some who feel that it is inappropriate.

For example, some scholars of Zheng School overemphasized hierarchy and destiny.

Cao Mao looked at the two great scholars in front of him. Ma Zhao was from the Fufeng Ma family, a famous family among famous families. Zhang Rong was slightly inferior, but had a very high reputation.

When Wang Su was still alive, Ma Zhao dared to scold him for forging classics and making up stories about saints, and Zhang Rong directly refused to accept Wang Su's changes, thinking that his ideas were too absurd.

At this time, both of them were old, with gray beards, and both held important positions in the Imperial Academy.

But Cao Mao did not indulge them.

He asked sincerely, "Since the pre-Qin period, there have been numerous rebellions and endless fighting outside the Great Wall. From the Han Dynasty to the Wei Dynasty, we have employed various tactics, some pacifying, some attacking, but none have yielded any results. I now wish to resolve the issues concerning the northern barbarians and prevent further rebellion. I wonder if you two have any advice for me?"

If we really engage in a debate with these entangled scholars about the relationship between the Chinese and the barbarians, we will lose.

The right way is to ask them to come up with a better solution.

Don’t tell me about the conciliation and suppression you did in the past!

Sure enough, when Cao Mao asked them to come up with a plan, they immediately fell silent.

They are scholars, and they are good at classics, not government affairs. If they were good at government affairs, they would go to the Secretariat. Why would they stay in the Imperial College?

Cao Mao looked at them for a long time without answering, then smiled and said, "This is the reason."

"What is the origin of Xianbei and Qiang? Does it matter?"

"It's very important that there's no war and that the people can live and work in peace and contentment."

"You two are both great scholars of our time. Why don't you help Ruan Ji accomplish this?"

There was a smile on Cao Mao's face, but it also clearly carried a sense of threat. As he grew older, Cao Mao's smile became more and more dangerous.

Ma Zhao quickly agreed.

The two great scholars pondered over the conversation for an entire night, but before they could even finish the beginning, they were politely sent out by Cao Mao.

After seeing the two off, Cao Mao went to another hall to practice sword.

Cao Mao has been concentrating on practicing sword skills over the years. This is not to become an assassin, nor can it be said to be for self-protection. After all, if an enemy can rush in front of him, no matter how powerful his sword skills are, they will be basically in vain.

This was just a way for Cao Mao to exercise.

Exercise regularly to keep yourself healthier. Even if you can't live to be a hundred years old, at least don't follow the traditional path of dying young.

Especially when everything is still unresolved, I absolutely cannot afford to get into trouble!!
Several colluding prefects, including the Qinghe prefect, have been arrested.

These people colluded with each other and protected each other, and Wei Shu gave them different punishments accordingly.

Cao Mao promoted some capable people from humble backgrounds to fill these vacancies.

At the same time, Cao Mao also issued another order: no one in the local area was allowed to build Wu Fort for self-protection.

The country within the village was officially banned.

Yongzhou, Chang'an.

Ma Long sat in the upper seat, looking at the new general who reported to him.

"Cao Jiangwu?"

"Exactly!"

"Ryouto?"

"In the past, it was the Bald Head Department, and it was called Shuji Neng!"

Shu Jineng bowed respectfully towards Ma Long. For some reason, seeing Ma Long in person, he felt a strange, uneasy feeling. Was this the inherent power of being a general?

He is indeed a famous general that His Majesty praises endlessly.

Ma Long was very curious. This was the first Hu person to be given a surname by His Majesty himself. Even the docile Xiongnu and Duan Xianbei did not receive this treatment. This guy was actually given a surname, and he was directly given the surname Cao.

Why does Your Majesty think so highly of this guy?

Ma Long pondered for a moment. Cao Mao did not tell him how to appoint Shu Ji Neng, but only told Ma Long to let this guy learn more.

Ma Long decided to test his background first to see what talents this person had.

"Gangwu, since His Majesty has sent you here, it means he values your talents. My army currently has many places to defend, and there are many positions you could fill. Where would you like to go, and what military position would you like to hold?"

Malone asked with a smile.

It seems that he is willing to agree to all the other party's requests.

In fact, he just wanted to see what kind of character this person had.

Shu Jineng immediately said, "General, I would like to go to Xiping County and serve as a soldier!"

"what??"

Malone was quite surprised by this answer.

He had thought that the other party would say that he would obey all arrangements, and he had also thought that the other party might want to go to the Outer Qiang to establish his career, but he didn't expect that the other party actually wanted to go to Xiping?

And to be a soldier?
Ma Long thought about it again, and asked thoughtfully, "Why do you want to go to Xiping to be a soldier?"

Shu Jineng replied seriously, "General, I have not achieved any meritorious service. I am here only because Your Majesty values me. I am not worthy of asking for a military commission."

"Therefore, I want to go to a place where I can make achievements and start as a soldier to repay the kindness of His Majesty and the General."

Ma Long sternly reprimanded him, "After years of governance, Xiping has become a prosperous place, a treasured land in Liangzhou. How can you say this is a place where one can achieve great things?"

Shu Jineng hurriedly explained, "General, I'm not saying Xiping is going to be in civil strife, but that Xiping is going to be invaded by foreign enemies."

Ma Long frowned, "What kind of foreign enemy is it?"

Shuji Neng explained: "It is the Southern Tartar Cheng Xi!"

"Because of their nomadic lifestyle, this Xi people were unable to participate in Liangzhou affairs in the past. They broke away and fled."

"They don't engage in farming, and have always relied on trade to sustain themselves, exchanging goods with other tribes. However, in recent years, they have run out of people to trade with in the surrounding area."

"Because they often robbed caravans from Shazhou heading to the Central Plains, this angered the Shazhou governor, who sent troops to protect the caravans, making their situation even more precarious."

"Therefore, they will definitely invade and plunder Xiping and other places soon!!"

The tree function can be analyzed calmly.

Ma Long was surprised. "This group of vicious people rarely interacts with the Central Plains. They even practice cannibalism. How do you know so much about them if we can't interact with them?"

Shuji Neng hesitated to speak.

In fact, it was Shuji Neng and his group who had long-term trade relations with this tribe.
He cleared his throat and said, "I have lived in Liangzhou for a long time, so I know a lot about the Hu people around here!"

"These barbarians are ignorant of education and are truly despicable!"

Shu Jineng's words were as magical as the later insults made by the head of the Northern Wei Dynasty's sinicization team against the Hu people for being ignorant of civilization.

But this was still within Ma Long's acceptable range. After all, he was a royal family member. If we follow the theory of family background of the famous scholars, Ma Long, who came from a humble family, would not even be qualified to carry the shoes of Cao Shuji, a first-class man.
Ma Long asked again: "Then why are you sure they will attack Xiping?"

The tree function was explained again.

"This place is rich and has plenty of food. Furthermore, it's flat on both sides, and there are forests for hiding. Most importantly, there are no large armies stationed here. Your army is mainly with the Outer Qiang, while the armies of Shazhou and Liangzhou are concentrated in Wuwei, Zhangye, Dunhuang, and other places."

"The walls here are not very tall. Low walls mean more food and less garrison."

Shu Ji Neng became more and more excited as he spoke, and his eyes lit up.

"If not here, where else can we rob?!"

Shu Ji Neng then told Ma Long about the enemy's strategy.

He believed that the Xi people were small in number and would not resort to looting the city. The most likely scenario was that light cavalry would suddenly attack, plunder the villagers outside the city, take away their belongings and evacuate. He even marked the enemy's retreat route.

Looking at Shu Ji Neng standing before him and talking eloquently, Ma Long suddenly felt that if this guy was the leader of the Hu people, he would definitely cause a lot of trouble for the court!

When Shu Ji Neng finished speaking, he stepped aside.

"Therefore, I wish to go to Xiping, serve as a soldier, and make great achievements!"

Ma Long smiled and touched his chin, "You'd better not go to Xiping."

"I'll give you four hundred knights, and you'll help me capture this Xi people's leader, Ji Jin. How about that?"

In ancient times, soldiers and knights were considered to be extremely powerful forces. Sometimes, when the government said that 100,000 troops were sent out, there might be only 10,000 soldiers among them, and the rest were ordinary soldiers, civilians and cannon fodder who were sent to die.

The same goes for knights. A situation like 100,000 knights is basically impossible in the Central Plains regime, unless these 100,000 knights are herdsmen who ride horses and shoot arrows like the Xianbei. Generally speaking, 20,000 knights is a force that can destroy a country.

Four hundred knights and four hundred armored soldiers can decide the outcome of some small-scale battles.

Ma Long only had more than 4,000 cavalrymen under his command, so 400 was already a lot.

Shu Ji Neng was overjoyed, "I am willing to capture him alive for the general!!!"

P.S.: The swelling is finally gone, and I'll resume my usual updates tomorrow! Give myself a cheer! Come on!!!

(End of this chapter)