Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Tian Yan found out about the powerful eunuch Wang Fu, and after spending all his wealth and making many promises, he finally met this influential eunuch who could speak for the emperor.

Wang Fu accepted the money, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "General Tian has such a heart, I will naturally grant your request. It's just a campaign against the Xianbei, right? I'll go and tell His Majesty."

Thus, Xia Yu's "Proposal to Attack the Xianbei" was unearthed from its dusty archives.

Wang Fu said to the emperor, "Xia Yu and Tian Yan are both excellent generals who made great contributions when they fought against the Qiang with Duan Jiong. Now that the Xianbei are rampant, why not let them try? Besides, once we win this battle, wouldn't our official positions in Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou be even more valuable?"

Liu Hong was immediately interested.

"Then let's fight," he said.

Upon the imperial decree, Tian Yan was appointed as the General Who Destroys the Xianbei.

But the ministers in the imperial court were not having it.

The Grand Commandant, the Minister of Works, the Minister of Agriculture, and the other high-ranking officials jointly submitted a memorial stating that this proposal was inappropriate.

They weren't against attacking the Xianbei; they hated the Xianbei for raiding their borders every year.

But they didn't believe Xia Yu, nor did they believe Tian Yan.

One of these two men was a border general, ambitious and eager for glory; the other was a disgraced official who bribed his way into office.

Entrusting the Han army to such a person is surely child's play.

Most importantly, the Han Dynasty was not peaceful internally either.

It's really strange. Ever since Liu Hong ascended the throne, the Han Dynasty has suffered major disasters almost every year.

In April of the second year of Jianning (169 AD), on the day of Gui Si, there was a strong wind, rain, hail, and thunder, which uprooted more than a hundred large trees.

In the first month of the third year of Jianning (170 AD), Henan and Hanoi suffered famine, to the point that couples resorted to cannibalism.

In February of the fourth year of Jianning (171 AD), an earthquake occurred, the sea overflowed, and the river water cleared. In May, the ground east of the river cracked, rain and hail fell, and mountain torrents burst forth.

In June of the first year of the Xiping era (172 AD), the capital was flooded.

In the first month of the second year of the Xiping era (173 AD), a great plague broke out. In the sixth month, an earthquake struck the North Sea. The seawater in Donglai and the North Sea overflowed.

In the autumn of the third year of the Xiping era (174 AD), the Luo River flooded.

In April of the fourth year of the Xiping era (175 AD), seven prefectures and kingdoms were flooded. In June, Hongnong and the Three Auxiliary Regions were hit by a locust plague.

You want to go to war when your own house is leaking everywhere?

The ministers naturally refused.

Emperor Liu Hong was so troubled by the commotion that he had no choice but to issue an edict summoning all officials to a court meeting.

The morning assembly was scheduled for the end of August.

The Deyang Hall was filled with people.

Almost all the high-ranking officials, ministers, and officials of the Secretariat, including advisors and doctors, who were in the capital, were present.

Xia Yu was in Youzhou and could not go there, but his memorial to the throne remained.

Tian Yan did arrive, but stood inconspicuously in the corner, barely daring to breathe.

The officials discussed the matter for a long time, offering various opinions but failing to reach a consensus.

Some people supported this, saying that the Xianbei had been rampant for a long time, and if they were not dealt a heavy blow, there would be endless troubles in the future.

Some objected, saying that the Central Plains were suffering from a major disaster, the national treasury was empty, and supplies were insufficient, so a hasty expedition would surely lead to defeat.

They argued back and forth, but neither could convince the other.

At this moment, a thin, middle-aged scholar stood up from his seat as an advisor.

This man, named Cai Yong, courtesy name Bojie, was a renowned scholar of his time, well-versed in classics and history, skilled in poetry and prose, and especially adept at calligraphy. He enjoyed a very high reputation among scholars.

Although he was only a minor official with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain), his influence in the court was no less than that of the high-ranking officials with salaries of 2,000 shi.

"In my opinion, Xia Yu's proposal is not feasible."

"The Xianbei people are newly prosperous. Since the Xiongnu fled north, they have occupied their former lands, with an army of 100,000, covering a thousand miles. They are strong and intelligent, and their wisdom is growing."

"Furthermore, the borders were not strictly guarded, and the net of prohibition was often breached. Fine gold and iron were taken out without being detected and all fell into the hands of thieves. Han people fled and became their accomplices. Their troops were superior in strength and their horses were faster than those of the Xiongnu."

These words immediately caused a buzz of discussion in the imperial court.

Some people think his words are alarmist, while others think they make sense.

Cai Yong, however, persisted, saying, "In the past, General Duan Jiong was skilled in warfare and managed the Western Qiang for over ten years. Now, Yu and Yan intend to achieve certain victory within a year. Yu and Yan's talents and strategies may not surpass Jiong's, and the Xianbei people are no weaker than the Western Qiang. Yet they intend to set up a plan in the near future to lure and deceive the court!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Yan's face darkened instantly.

He wanted to argue, but in front of the entire court, he dared not act rashly.

Moreover, as a military general, his eloquence was certainly not as good as Cai Yong's.

He could only clench his fists and glare fiercely at Cai Yong.

Cai Yong further stated, "These days, bandits in the prefectures and counties plunder people and property, attacking officials and civilians daily. Even in the most remote and powerful regions, with its strict administration and efficient management, such bandits cannot eradicate them. How much more so these vile barbarians? In the past, Emperor Gaozu endured the humiliation of Pingcheng, and Empress Lü willingly abandoned the fault of neglecting to write a letter. Compared to them today, which is worse?"

He was referring to the old stories of Emperor Gaozu being besieged at Baideng and Empress Lü being insulted by a letter from the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu.

The Han Dynasty endured such a great humiliation back then.

Now that the Xianbei are raiding our borders, can't we just tolerate it?

Cai Yong spoke eloquently, listing many reasons in one breath.

He quoted extensively from classical texts, drawing on a wide range of sources, from the Book of Documents to the Book of Changes, from King Xuan of Zhou to Emperor Wu of Han, discussing the past and present with great passion and fervor.

He said that Emperor Wu was so good at fighting that he drove the Xiongnu away, but what was the result?

The treasury was empty, the population of the country was halved, and bandits rose up in Guandong. Even he himself later regretted it, so he stopped the war and conscripted the prime minister as the Marquis of Fumin.

This man was arguably the most knowledgeable person in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and he was also eloquent, so for a time no one could refute him.

He concluded by saying, "Those who are obsessed with winning battles and exhausting their military endeavors will inevitably regret it."

This quote comes from Master Yan.

Zhu Fu Yan was a strategist during Emperor Wu's reign, and he had many criticisms of Emperor Wu's aggressive military campaigns.

Now that Cai Yong has brought this up, his meaning is very clear: if you don't listen to me, don't blame me for not warning you later.

After uttering the last word, Cai Yong bowed deeply to the ground and retreated.

The hall was silent for a long time, and no one spoke.

Liu Hong sat on the throne, expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Wang Fu stood aside, a cold smile on his face.

He glanced at Cai Yong, then at the emperor, and thought to himself, "You, Cai Yong, are more learned than me, and you are more eloquent than me, but you don't understand His Majesty. You've spouted a lot of nonsense, but you haven't taught His Majesty how to make money. It's as if you haven't said anything at all."

As expected, Liu Hong made a decision and did not heed Cai Yong's advice.

The imperial edict was issued quickly:

Next August, Xia Yu will emerge from Gaoliu, Tian Yan from Yunzhong, and Zang Min, the Xiongnu general, will lead the Southern Chanyu out of Yanmen.

The three armies marched out simultaneously, each leading ten thousand cavalry, and traveled more than two thousand li beyond the border to meet in the land of the Xianbei.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture was to allocate grain and fodder, and the various prefectures of Youzhou were to conscript soldiers, with a three-month deadline to ensure that the troops were fully prepared without any delays.

…………

The vast grassland stretches as far as the eye can see.

Heaven and earth merge into a blurry line, like a knife cleaving heaven and earth apart.

Tanhan Mountain.

It's called a mountain, but it's really just a lonely rocky hill standing alone on the vast grassland.

Although the mountain is not high, it is extremely steep, with steep cliffs on all sides and only a narrow, winding path leading up to it, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The Xianbei royal court was built at the foot of this mountain.

This Xianbei royal court was not a city.

The Xianbei people lived by following the water and grass, without building cities or streets. Their felt tents were scattered around Tanhan Mountain, stretching for dozens of miles, like a white mushroom.

Sandalwood.

He was the god of the Xianbei people.

It was under his rule that the Xianbei rose to become the overlords of the grasslands, stretching from Liaodong in the east to Dunhuang in the west, a distance of over 14,000 li from east to west and over 7,000 li from north to south.

At this moment, this "Heaven" is sitting in the royal tent, looking at a scroll of silk in his hand.

There were several other people in the tent, all leaders of various Xianbei tribes. Some had gray hair and beards, while others were in their prime. They all sat respectfully on either side.

"Hahaha--"

Tan Shihuai suddenly laughed, casually tossed the silk scroll he was holding onto the table, picked up the silver bowl, took a sip of mare's milk wine, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve and slowly said:

"The Great Han is indeed finished."

He put down the silver bowl and glanced at everyone in the tent.

"Even fighting a war is a drawn-out affair. And there's this pedantic scholar named Cai Yong who, citing classical texts, advises the emperor against war, saying things like, 'Those who rush into battle and exhaust their military ambitions never avoid regret'—listen to that, what utter nonsense!"

The leaders in the tent immediately burst into laughter in unison.

An old chieftain with gray hair and beard stroked his beard and chuckled, "That's how the Han Chinese court is; they argue hundreds of times before doing anything. By the time they're done arguing, it's too late."

Tan Shihuai nodded and said, "However, they finally came to a conclusion. Next August, Xia Yu, Tian Yan, and Zang Min will lead their troops out of the border to hunt at Tanhan Mountain."

Another leader asked, "Your Majesty, how accurate is this news from the Way of Peace?"

Tan Shihuai laughed and said, "Who cares if it's accurate or not? Let's get ready first. If the Han people don't come to attack me, then I'll go and attack them."