The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 248 The Poisonous Strategist's Last Plan: Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst

Who is Budugen?
The Chanyu of the Xianbei.

The grandson of Tan Shihuai, the former overlord of the border region and the ruler of the royal court of Tanhan Mountain.

Today, the Yanmen and Taiyuan areas of Bingzhou are inhabited by fierce Hu generals who guard the borders of the Wei Kingdom.

The relevant information flashed through Xu Shu's mind in an instant.

And among these titles...

While the title "Shanyu" indicates Budugen's identity, it is insufficient to prove his strength.

First of all, the "Chanyu" of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period is completely different from the Chanyu of the early Western Han Dynasty, such as Modu Chanyu and Junchen Chanyu.

After Emperor Wu of Han annihilated the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty enjoyed two or three hundred years of dominance. The leaders of the nomadic tribes such as the Xiongnu and Xianbei in the southern Gobi Desert often had to obtain the permission of the Han emperor to be recognized as "Chanyu".

Otherwise, they would be barbarians who do not know etiquette, and bandits that everyone should kill.

The era when 400,000 barbarian cavalry besieged the Han emperor and openly made obscene remarks to the Empress Dowager is long gone.

From then on, the Chanyu and the Wise King were less like kings of the grasslands and more like governors of the grasslands under the Han emperor.

This is roughly the situation of Budugen, the Xianbei chieftain.

However, at the same time, he was not the only grassland chieftain who was recognized by Cao Pi.

Instead, there are at least three.

These are step root, cobinen, and sulli.

Among them, Kebineng, who was active in the Dai County and Shanggu area of ​​Youzhou, was the strongest.

Yes.

As the grandson of Tanshihuai, Budugen was nominally the rightful heir to the royal court of Tanhanshan.

His strength was actually inferior to that of Kebineng, who came from a small tribe.

So much so that they had to seek self-preservation by submitting to Cao Wei.

It was extremely embarrassing.

This also shows that the title of "Shanyu" has been devalued to the same level as the various miscellaneous general titles during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

It sounds impressive, but in reality, the extent of one's power depends entirely on the imperial court's orders and the strength of one's troops.

The fact that later Xianbei and other nomadic tribes preferred to create a separate "Khan" to refer to their ruler is probably related to this.

Now let's get back to the present.

The envoy from Budugen was sent on this mission, and his first purpose was naturally to request the Emperor of Great Wei to uphold justice.

Earlier that year, Kebineng took advantage of Cao Wei's southward military campaign to invade the territories of Budugen and Suli once again.

The two had fought against Kebineng for many years, suffering heavy losses and were no longer his match.

However, just as Budugen's envoy requested Wei's help in "suppressing the rebellion," Cao Pi suddenly spoke up:

"How has Budugen considered the proposals made last year by the former Grand Commandant, Marquis Su, and Lord Jia?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu's heart skipped a beat.

He recalled the scene from last year when he confronted Jia Xu in front of the palace.

That day marked the beginning of his meteoric rise in his career.

However, this was also Jia Xu's last visit to the court before his death.

Xu Shu clearly remembered that Jia Xu offered Cao Pi a plan in court, but Cao Pi remained tight-lipped about it afterwards.

Despite making numerous inquiries privately, I was unable to obtain the information.

I had almost forgotten about it.

Unexpectedly, on this special occasion, Cao Pi brought up the old story again.

The messenger paused for a moment, then said nervously:

"Lord Su's suggestion is certainly excellent. Our Chanyu also has complete faith in the court's credibility."

"There is only one matter that I must consult Your Majesty on first."

Cao Pi: "Tell me."

“Our Chanyu said that when he was stationed at Yanmen, Kebineng still repeatedly invaded.” “If we follow Lord Su’s suggestion and all our troops march south, will the two commanderies still belong to our tribe when we return victorious?”

Upon hearing this, Cao Pi glanced at Chen Qun.

The latter immediately understood and said sternly:
"Yanmen and Taiyuan have belonged to the Central Plains since ancient times. Regardless of whether your tribe moves south or not, they will never belong to you!"

Upon hearing this, the envoy trembled slightly, and his face flushed noticeably.

But seeing that there were heavily armored warriors on both sides of the stage, he dared not act recklessly.

He could only say coldly:
"But I wonder if Chen Lingjun will still be so tough when facing Kebineng?"

Chen Qun: "Youzhou is also the king's land. Even if Tan Shihuai were to die and come back to life, I would still say the same thing."

The envoy was immediately choked and his face turned red.

At this moment, Sima Yi chuckled and slowly spoke:

“If Budugen is only worried that Kebineng will take advantage of the situation to move south and seize his territory, I think there is no need to worry.”

"Firstly, His Majesty had already made arrangements for the border prefectures of You and Bing."

“For example, Wang Xiong and Wang Yuanbo, the governors of Youzhou, Liang Xi and Liang Ziyu, the governors of Bingzhou, Tian Yu and Tian Guorang, the protectors of the Wuhuan, Qian Zhao and Xie Jun, the protectors of the Xianbei, were all capable ministers and fierce generals, enough to intimidate Kebineng and prevent him from wantonly invading the south.”

"When Kebineng attacked Suli earlier, wasn't it all thanks to Tian Guorang's help that the siege was lifted?"

"And your tribe's food-producing area is closer to the heart of the Central Plains than Suli's. If Kebineng invades from the south, how can the court not come to your aid?"

"Not to mention Wu Zhi, also known as Wu Jizhong, who held the imperial insignia and was in charge of military affairs in Youzhou and Luoyang, was a recognized strategist in Luoyang."

"With him here, why do you need to worry about Kebineng?"

"How many heads does Ke Bi have to dare to compete with Wu Jizhong in terms of wisdom?"

Hearing that Sima Yi, though still speaking with the disdainful tone of a superior ruler, was actually offering kind advice, the envoy's expression immediately softened considerably.

Sima Yi then continued:
"Secondly, Kebineng was also among those invited to travel south this time."

"At that time, all the tribes will march south together and be under the control of the imperial court. The imperial court will provide all the provisions and military supplies. If Kebineng does not want people to starve to death, he will be subject to the imperial court. How dare he touch your interests in Bingzhou?"

"If you ask me, if this matter succeeds, then according to Lord Su's suggestion, the Guanzhong land you will obtain in the future will be ten or a hundred times richer than the border region, and even the border counties of You and Bing cannot compare with it."

"If that's the case, why bother with the worn-out broom in front of us and abandon the beautiful jade ahead?"

Upon hearing this, the envoy was half delighted and half seeking confirmation: "Is Kebineng also heading south?"

"Those who submit to the king's rule and live beyond the Great Wall are all among those invited." This time, it was Cao Pi who answered.

"The bandits in Shu are rampant now, and the Central Plains are suffering greatly as a result."

"The Hu generals have received the Emperor's favor for generations, and should think of repaying the country."

"If you all set aside past grievances and work together to eliminate the traitors, how could I be stingy with rewards?"

Having received a personal guarantee from the Emperor of Wei, the envoy finally lowered his guard completely and swore on the spot that he would definitely go back and persuade Budugen Chanyu in return for the court's reward.

Cao Pi was very satisfied and immediately bestowed upon the other party the title of Attendant.

Xu Shu, who had been listening to the conversation all the way here, was already filled with turmoil!

The strategy Jia Xu offered before his death was to lead the nomadic cavalry from beyond the Great Wall deep into the heart of the Han territory, thus uniting the nomads to control the Han!
He instantly understood why Cao Pi was so secretive.

This plan is not only dangerous, but it will also bring disaster to future generations.

Even if the siege of Guanzhong by the Han army could be temporarily lifted, it is easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away. Once these barbarian cavalry have tasted the sweetness and witnessed the wealth of the Central Plains, it would be nothing short of a pipe dream to expect them to obediently retreat to the bitter cold of the borderlands.

Not to mention that Cao Pi had just promised to reward the Hu people with the fertile land of Guanzhong after the matter was accomplished.

Does this mean Guanzhong is being treated like a border region like You and Bing?
Oh, heavens, why have you come to this!
Jia Xu, that old fox, is truly ruthless!

In order to resolve the immediate predicament of Cao Wei, they did not hesitate to sow the seeds of disaster that would overthrow the Han dynasty...

Xu Shu's back was drenched in cold sweat.

It was as if I could see Jia Xu's all-knowing, icy eyes again.

This strategy seems to kill two birds with one stone, both depleting the Han army and weakening the Xianbei tribes.

In reality, they are playing with fire on the fertile land of the Central Plains!
If we allow ruthless individuals like Kebineng and Budugen to lead their fierce followers south, even with the court's restraint, how can we truly control their ferocity?
Accustomed to raiding on horseback, their military discipline almost inevitably collapsed once they ventured into prosperous areas.

At that time, the Guanzhong Plain will be trampled by the barbarian cavalry, and it may take ten or even a hundred generations to recover!

This is a desperate measure to quench thirst!
(End of this chapter)