Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 501 Side Story: Seoul (Part 1)

The first group of Han slaves to be released consisted of more than 8,000 people from the Morton tribe. Seventy percent of them were young and strong women, while the remaining thirty percent were men, most of whom were emaciated and physically weak.

Pei Qinghe summoned several people and questioned them in detail.

The women were both humiliated and furious, their eyes red and they wept uncontrollably.

One of the women, in her early twenties, cried out, “Your Majesty, I am from Liaoxi. I was only thirteen when I was captured and taken to the grasslands. These Xiongnu barbarians did not treat me like a human being at all, and they abused me wantonly. My whole body is covered in wounds, there is not a single unscathed spot.”

"Of the women who were kidnapped with me, some were raped to death, some couldn't bear it and committed suicide, and some died of illness. I was the one who endured the longest. I endured fourteen years and eight months in this hellish place. I counted the days as I went."

"I never imagined that I would survive until the day when the emperor led his troops to rescue me."

Fourteen years and eight months.

How did they manage to get through such a long period of time?

Pei Qinghe felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She personally stepped forward and helped the pitiful woman, who was wailing in pain, to her feet: "Don't cry. Morton has been killed by me. You can all go back and reunite with your families now."

The pitiful woman, weeping uncontrollably and trembling all over, forced herself to wipe away her tears and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I can't go back. The Xiongnu barbarians have slaughtered the entire village. My parents and brothers have all been killed, and our house has been burned to the ground."

"I have no home, and I don't know where to go back to."

The others also cried out, "When I was robbed, the whole village was slaughtered."

“I was kidnapped when I was ten years old and have been living on the grassland for so many years that I have long forgotten where my home is.”

Another woman cried out, "I was abused by the Xiongnu barbarians and gave birth to two children. If I leave, what will happen to my children?"

The female generals, including Gu Lian and Pei Xuan, listened with their eyes reddening.

Pei Qinghe felt a pang of sympathy. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "I was too naive before. I originally intended to take you all back with me. But most of you have no home, and you have nowhere to go in Youzhou. Some of you have children and can't bear to leave them behind. Others have lived on the grasslands for too long and have become accustomed to the climate and customs here."

More importantly, these women, though clearly victims of bullying, were rescued but burdened with unspeakable shame and had no courage to ever set foot on their homeland again.

Pei Qinghe didn't say these last words. Gu Lian, who had a similar experience, was the first to understand.

To talk about chastity in the face of life and death is utterly ridiculous. They endured countless humiliations just to survive. Now that they can live peacefully, this mental shackle has come into play.

"Your Majesty, I dare to offer this suggestion." Gu Lian stepped forward and said softly, "Those among them who have homes to return to and are willing to go back, let them go back. Those who are unwilling to return or have nowhere to go, it would be better to leave them on the grasslands."

Pei Qinghe's heart stirred, and he looked over: "I had thought before about building a Han city in the grasslands, so that I could eventually govern and rule over the various tribes of the grasslands."

Now that the territory has been conquered, the next step is to consider how to govern and manage it. Building Hancheng (the Han capital) is the fastest and best solution. The biggest concern initially was the lack of population in Hancheng. However, this is no longer a problem. The number of Han Chinese captured and taken to the grasslands is enormous. Even if only a small fraction of them remained on the grasslands, it would be enough to fill Hancheng.

Gu Lian's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "That's a brilliant idea!"

Pei Xuan also chimed in, "This humble general also agrees with building Han City. However, it's too far from Youzhou; it takes more than a month to ride a horse, making it too inconvenient to send messages. Let's choose another suitable location."

He could govern the grasslands, but he couldn't stray too far from Youzhou. Pei Qinghe said, "We'll discuss this matter later." Then, he said to the women whose crying had subsided, "Don't cry anymore. I will make sure you're all settled."

The women wiped away their tears and knelt down to kowtow repeatedly.

After the poor women left, Pei Qinghe summoned all the military officers to discuss the construction of Hancheng. The officers all voiced their support, and no one objected.

Hekmu, who had made great contributions in this battle, could not contain his excitement and volunteered to stay in Seoul to serve in the future.

Hemu had been raising warhorses at the Quanzhou horse farm for over a decade, and their loyalty was impeccable.

Pei Qinghe said gently, "Hemu, I promised you back then that as long as you raised horses for me, I would give you the opportunity to avenge your family. Now that the Xiongnu Khan is dead and several major Xiongnu tribes have been decimated, your deep-seated hatred can be avenged. I also want to build a Han city on the grasslands to govern and manage them. I will send civil officials to govern the Han city, and you are the only suitable candidate to be the military general stationed there."

The nomadic tribes of the grasslands were fierce and warlike. The Xiongnu were decimated, but other nomadic tribes remained. After the Han dynasty built its capital, defense was the primary task.

We must select a loyal and brave person to garrison Seoul. This person must be well-versed in the customs and combat methods of the grassland tribes and be absolutely loyal to the Republic of Korea.

Hemu, who came from a Xianbei tribe, was indeed the best candidate.

He Mu was over forty years old, and upon hearing these words, his eyes immediately reddened. He knelt down and kowtowed three times: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I, He Mu, am Your Majesty's man, and I will definitely defend Han City for Your Majesty. Even if I die in battle one day and become a ghost, I will guard the skies above Han City."

……

The location for Seoul was quickly chosen.

Pei Qinghe set off with over 10,000 cavalry and more than 8,000 Han Chinese civilians, carrying a large amount of grain and supplies. Along the way, tribes continuously sent Han Chinese to them.

One group after another, and soon, the number of Han Chinese people gathered to seventy or eighty thousand.

With so many people, the amount of food consumed daily is staggering.

Pei Qinghe simply used the methods of the grassland tribes, demanding tribute from the tribes along the way and extorting the cattle and sheep of the Xiongnu tribe.

The Han people, who had lived on the grasslands for years, herded cattle and sheep like ordinary herders. Cow's milk and sheep's milk could fill their stomachs, and when they were really hungry, they would slaughter cattle and sheep for meat.

As for how the Xiongnu herders would survive without their cattle and sheep, that was beyond Pei Qinghe's consideration. Her reputation for benevolence had already been cemented by not slaughtering ordinary herders. Her first priority was ensuring the Han people had enough to eat.

The nomadic peoples on the grasslands live in tents and migrate with the water and grass, without a fixed place to live.

To build Han City, a large amount of timber, bricks, and other raw materials, as well as craftsmen, were needed. Some timber could be found on the grasslands, but the rest of the materials had to be transported from Youzhou to the grasslands, and the craftsmen also had to be sent. The location of Han City had to take into account the difficulty of transporting supplies, and a place was finally chosen that was about a thousand li away from both Beiping County and Liaoxi County. It would take about ten days to reach that place by fast horse.

Pei Qinghe led a large group of Han people to the selected site and ordered them to set up tents and settle down temporarily.

A month later, the first batch of one hundred craftsmen was delivered. Also present before Pei Qinghe was the Minister of Revenue's Fashion Secretary.

(End of this chapter)