Chapter 230 Checks and Balances

On the twenty-sixth day of the winter month, Black Bear led the vanguard through Zishi County.

The scale of the march was extremely large, with more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry, more than 20,000 light sleds of various types, and more than 40,000 horses in the entire army.

The sled was very simple to make. A large number of rebel families and powerful officials had moved to Taiyuan and Hedong counties, and these people had no shortage of good wood for their houses.

There is no shortage of manpower and technology, so sleds can be made very quickly.

Except for more than 10,000 elite cavalry, the rest were infantry marching on sleds.

They carried half a month's worth of food and fodder, mainly fodder for the horses.

Even if there are no major gains, we can still obtain more than a month's supplies by attacking the various Hu tribes in the north.

Therefore, the fundamental purpose of this war was not to wipe out the northern Hu tribes, but to implement the alliance with the Xiongnu.

Seizing the cattle and horses of the northern Hu people, rescuing some men and women, and solving the food problem for the army and livestock were just by-products of consolidating the alliance.

With this thought in mind, Black Bear felt relatively relaxed.

In this state, he marched relatively quickly and could reach Lishi in the evening.

Liu Bao went out fifty miles from Lishi to meet him, and was almost waiting for the black bear halfway.

And brought a piece of news that made Black Bear embarrassed.

"Since the great reputation of the Great Commander spread, all the tribes in the north were terrified."

Liu Bao spoke in a low voice, a little embarrassed: "When the young king was hostile to the Great Commander, he also sent envoys to call on the Xiongnu tribes in Xihe and Shangjun. That's why the Northern Qiang and Lushui Hu invaded Guanzhong. Now that the Great Commander has personally led the heavenly soldiers here, all the tribes have expressed their intention to surrender."

The largest Xiongnu tribe was severely damaged, and strictly speaking, the orthodox Xiongnu tribe was destroyed.

Even if the Qiang people in the north and the Lushui Hu people were gathered together, they could not squeeze out more than 100,000 young and strong men.

The sled was still moving forward, and Black Bear also knew about the problems of the northern Hu people. The Xiongnu was the actual leader of the alliance, and the purpose of the existence of this alliance was to resist the invasion of the Xianbei.

This alliance was more like a ceasefire agreement. Only when the Xianbei invaded would the Lushui Hu and Beidi Qiang stop fighting, not interfere with the Xiongnu, and even send troops to help.

Given the size of the Lushui Hu and the Beidi Qiang, if the Xiongnu could not hold on any longer, they would be annexed by the Xianbei.

The first-class Xianbei, second-class Xiongnu, Lushui Hu and Qiang Hu could only be relegated to the lowest class.

Because of this broad but fragile agreement, there is room for mediation when conflicts arise between the tribes over grazing and farming each year.

Compared with the severely damaged Xiongnu, these Qiang Hu and Lushui Hu were still small in size.

Black Bear was not surprised. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You also know that this year I am attacking at a great speed and they have nowhere to escape. To the south is Guanzhong, and to the north is blocked by you. They are like birds in a cage this year. The surrender now is most likely a heroic act. When spring comes and the tribes migrate, it will be difficult for me to mobilize my army. By then, even if you force an annexation, you will have to pay a heavy price."

"Yes, Xiao Wang also has such concerns."

Liu Bao immediately said: "Xiao Wang means to refuse their surrender, which will delay the time of Daqu General."

Black Bear turned his head to look at Liu Bao: "What does Chanyu mean, to kill the surrendered?"

"If it's not to kill the surrendered, why would Daqu General kill the surrendered?"

Liu Bao immediately explained: "Xiao Wang's tribe is in need of slaves, women and children, and Da Qushuai also wants to rescue men, women and children. Xiao Wang means to accept their surrender and then divide them. He will not kill the surrendered, but just split up their tribes and settlements."

Seeing that Black Bear did not object, Liu Bao said, "There are about 70,000 to 80,000 men and women in my tribe who need to be handed over to the Great Canal Commander. I am short of people and slaves. I don't want to kill the surrendered until the last step."

Then he went a step further: "My king also knows that the commander-in-chief wants to reward the warriors. We don't kill useful slaves, but their nobles and leaders. Their warriors are stubborn, and it is difficult for my king to control them when he is nomadic here. It is better for the commander-in-chief to bring them to Guanzhong for centralized supervision."

Black Bear nodded and asked, "How are you going to annex these tribes?"

"The Han people they captured from the border counties will be handed over to the commander of the Great Canal. The men will be given a horse, the women will be given a cow, and the children will be given a sheep. They will be allowed to take away all the clothes and tools they can."

Liu Bao patiently described his annexation plan: "As for the wealth of their chieftains, nobles, shaman priests and warriors, I will refer to the disposal methods of the Guanzhong commanders and Taiyuan tyrants, and give 90% to the Daqu commander."

Seeing that Black Bear did not refute, Liu Bao smiled awkwardly and said, "It is just that it is inconvenient to smelt and manufacture weapons. I hope that the Great Canal Commander will allow me to take most of the weapons and armor. If there are any that the Great Canal Commander likes, they will all belong to him."

"I can give you the weapons and armor, but I must take the crossbow."

Black Bear raised his hand to interrupt and stated his bottom line: "All the craftsmen obtained this time belong to me, even if they are hair braiding craftsmen, they must be given to me. Their crossbows belong to me, and the craftsmen who can make crossbows must also be given to me. In the future, I don't want the Huns to be able to make powerful crossbows, which will endanger my life."

Liu Bao nodded immediately: "Everything is subject to the wishes of the Daqu Commander. As long as the Daqu Commander is willing to sell bows to us, I am willing to offer all the bow-making craftsmen to the Daqu Commander."

"You don't have to do this, Chanyu. You know I like to travel around. I'm not afraid of strong bows, but I'm concerned about crossbows. I won't interfere with craftsmen who make bows, smelt iron, forge iron armor, and leather armor. If these craftsmen are from the Han border, you have to give them freedom. If they are willing to stay, you have to pay them and protect their interests. If there are disputes, the Xiongnu Lieutenant General will make the decision in the future."

"If they are from another race and become followers of the Taiping Dao in the future, you must allow them to redeem themselves. Of course, the people I send to preach will test the followers and will not expand at will. I will limit the size of the followers."

The sled was still moving forward. Black Bear waited for the chief recorder behind the sled to finish taking notes before he asked Liu Bao, "You know my bottom line as far as the craftsmen are concerned. I hope you can make it clear to the other nobles. I don't want to reiterate this matter."

"Yes, I understand. I will let the kings and leaders of each tribe remember this matter firmly."

"Tell me what your plans are for the rest."

"Yes, the young king plans to release the foreigners they have captured, and use them to replenish the population lost by the various tribes, and also use them as overseers. As for their tribesmen, and children taller than the bow, they will be reduced to slaves."

Liu Bao added: "We will raise the children who are shorter than Gong and make them new members of the tribe."

The bow is a riding bow. Children who are taller than the riding bow can already ride sheep and shoot mice and rabbits; they can also take care of children, pick wild vegetables and help herd. But their cognition is fixed, and they can be assimilated over time. It is the easiest to be demoted to a slave in the short term.

Slaves had no personal freedom, and if they dared to escape, they would pay a heavy price.

Although tribal herders are under the personal control of their chiefs and nobles, they have limited personal freedom.

Black Bear nodded and said, "It's a good idea to let the slaves supervise their original masters. Now tell me, how can we eat these people in one bite?"

Liu Bao felt relieved and said, "They have already arrived at Lishi, and have brought here cattle, sheep and other animals, as well as gifts to apologize for their crimes."

"So, if we capture them now, their tribe will fall into chaos?"

"That's it."

Liu Bao's tone was a little strange: "Some Xiongnu nobles who were on good terms with them also advised them, but they didn't believe that the Great Commander would punish them severely. Some even said that the Great Commander would treat them well and use them to check the Little King, and then use the Little King to check the Xianbei."

Looking at Black Bear and observing his mood, Liu Bao added: "They now stubbornly believe that they will receive better treatment after surrendering to Daqushuai."

“They have a point.”

Black Bear couldn't help but smile and comforted Liu Bao: "I said that you and I are brothers, so they will never be able to bully you. They don't understand me, don't they know my ambitions, don't you know? Not to mention them, even the Xianbei and Donghu can only be our slaves."

"Xiao Wang understands."

Liu Bao let out a long breath and asked Black Bear with a smile: "Does the Great Canal Commander want to take action today or tomorrow?"

"Give them some hope and deal with them in three days."

Black Bear restrained his smile and said, "In three days, there will be more troops. After we execute them, we can destroy their camps like a flood and not give them the opportunity to gather and resist. Every time we resist, it is either our tribe or our future slaves who will die. We must cherish our manpower."

"What the commander of the Great Canal said is very true. I will learn from your teaching."

Liu Bao leaned sideways and bowed, but Black Bear just smiled and didn't think it was strange. Liu Bao bowed seriously.

Liu Bao knew before that manpower was important, but not extremely important.

However, after the three tribes of the royal court were defeated and nearly 100,000 young and strong people of the tribe were killed, Liu Bao realized the importance of human resources.

He also felt the embarrassment of the Huns' successive khans and leaders when they were severely damaged in history.

He might be deposed by the nobles and forced to apologize; he might also be assassinated by a small group of dissatisfied nobles and tribal warriors.

A Chanyu or leader who suffers a major defeat will inevitably be unpopular and no one will support him. If he is attacked by an assassin, his guards may also be perfunctory in their approach.

Now without Black Bear’s support, Liu Bao might suffer the same tragic fate as his grandfather, or suffer some other tragic fate.

Only by relying on the black bear and achieving a series of victories could he win the support of the people and secure his position as Chanyu.

For now, Black Bear can replace someone else to be the Chanyu, but the influence of the oath will backfire.

If Liu Bao himself is incompetent and breaks his oath, then if a new Chanyu is appointed, no one will bring up the Fenshui Alliance.

So in the short term, Liu Bao had a hard time.

The Xiongnu nobles who want to replace him will try their best to find his weak spot.

After discussing the key points, Liu Bao took out a sheepskin roll and handed it over: "General Daqu, this is the reply from Ms. Cai. Xiao Wang has invited her here, and she is now being placed in Lishi City for recuperation."

"I heard someone say she might be in Wuyuan. How did you find her?"

"It is indeed in the vicinity of Wuyuan, in the old royal court of the Chanyu, south of Wuyuan and north of Xihe County."

Liu Bao recounted: "My father worked for the imperial court, and when his money and grain supplies were cut off, he had no choice but to plunder the big families in Hedong. One of the leaders plundered the Cai family. Xiao Wang was young at the time and did not know about it, and Xiao Wang's father did not notice this either."

"Later, this head returned to Lishi with his tribe, where they sold the captured men and women. The Cai family was bought by the King of Zuoguli and was highly respected by him."

Liu Bao tried his best to describe it in beautiful words, and Black Bear did not seem as angry as Liu Bao imagined. Then Black Bear asked, "Where is the Zuo Guli King?"

"King Zuo Guli died of illness several years ago, and the one who succeeded him now is a nephew of the young king."

Liu Bao was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to introduce the change in Cai Zhaoji's fate after the death of King Zuoguli.

Seeing that he was hesitating, Black Bear said, "I also know the Xiongnu tradition. As long as the person is alive, it's good. I won't pursue this matter. Does she have any children?"

"I had several children, but some died young. Now I have two sons and a little daughter left."

Liu Bao raised his hand and gestured, and Black Bear also understood that the little daughter was still in the cradle.

He continued to comfort her, "Her two sons are also descendants of your Qilian clan?"

"Yes, the previous Zuoguli King is my uncle. So the two sons of the Cai family are my cousins ​​within the fifth degree of mourning."

Liu Bao explained in a low voice, without explaining the relationship between him and his youngest daughter, saying that she was most likely a niece from the same clan.

"Since they are descendants of your Qilian clan, it is up to Cai Zhaoji to decide whether to take them to Guanzhong. If she refuses to take them to Guanzhong, you must arrange for them to be properly settled. If they are taken to Guanzhong, I will arrange for famous teachers to teach them, and they will be sent to the royal court in the future to serve under the Chanyu."

"Yes, Xiao Wang will follow your instructions."

(End of this chapter)