The great man will live forever

Chapter 326 The complex border situation in the late Han Dynasty

"Kill!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"We surrender!"

The atmosphere of the battle was tense and fierce. Zhang Ning led the elite troops in formation outside Changli City. The siege engines roared and moved towards the city wall. Arrows and catapult attacks were fired at the soldiers guarding the city wall intensively and orderly.

The enemy's flag was flying on top of the city, and the soldiers' shouts and drum beatings came from the city, highlighting the strong atmosphere of confrontation.

Zhang Ning commanded the troops, and the Yellow Turban warriors nimbly avoided the enemy's crossbows and broken stones, and fought fiercely with the guarding soldiers.

They fought bravely, showing superb combat skills and teamwork, and gradually forced the enemy guards into a desperate situation.

With the violent impact of the siege engines, cracks appeared on the city wall, the city gate was knocked open, and the troops led by Zhang Ning poured into the city like a violent wind and launched a clearing campaign.

In fierce fighting, most of the soldiers in the city were forced to surrender, and the city quickly announced its surrender.

It was established during the period of Emperor An of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was divided from the territories of Liaodong and Liaoxi counties at that time. It was initially located in Changli County (today's Yi County). Later, it was adjusted and renamed many times.

In fact, the Han army: "Before the war, the scouts and cavalry repeatedly tried to engage in battle, surveyed the terrain, set up camp, advanced drums and retreated gold, gave strict orders, infantry and cavalry each performed their duties, and were full of strategies. They were like micro-managers, and they could fight for a long time. Few soldiers were injured."

In fact, the purpose of the Han Dynasty setting up the Liaodong vassal state was to settle the Wuhuan people. At that time, Xianbei was so powerful that it not only squeezed the southern Xiongnu out of the Monan grassland, but also bullied the Wuhuan people of the same ethnic group.

The Liaodong vassal state was not an independent kingdom or country, but an administrative division during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The Xianbei people were too scared to invade Liaodong. Gongsun Zan established his reputation in Liaodong!

In fact, if Gongsun Zan had been developing in the Liaodong vassal state, he would probably become the king of Liaodong and even fight the Yellow Turban, and Zhang Ning would be in a very troublesome situation.

"Whenever he hears that there is a police officer, Zan always looks fierce and angry, as if he is running towards the enemy, looking at the dust, or following up with a night battle."

"The thieves in the state have risen, and they have sent three thousand men on horseback to Youzhou. They pretended to be the governor of Zan and passed the news to the generals."

The alien race that later generations think of: "Is it the one shown on TV with a shiny face, well-dressed, eight-pack abs, bold and rugged, full of martial virtue, and a man who knows how to repay kindness?"

What do you think of the Han people: "A effeminate white-faced scholar, shaking a folding fan, and full of knowledge."

Wuhuan even told each other to avoid the white horse for a long time. He painted a Zan-shaped painting, rode on horseback and shot at it, and the one who hit the mark was hailed as long live. From then on, the captives fled far away from the fortress. "

"Why, there is a grudge between the saint and Gongsun Chan?"

With this elite cavalry, Gongsun Zan began to fight against Xianbei. Once he engaged Xianbei, he would defeat him even if he fought late into the night.

Three people came in at one time, one with a rough build and one with a dark complexion. This person was Baiyan Zizhen, the leader of the Baiyan Tuoru tribe.

Their image does not fit most people's imagination of barbarians or ordinary people.

There was a person who was slightly short in stature, but his eyes seemed to be full of wisdom. This person was Liaoyuan Suqingxing, the leader of the Liaoyuan Suppressing Tribe.

Every time when the battle comes, dozens of white horses are lined up on the left and right wings of Gongsun Zan. No one can get close within a hundred steps. Three thousand cavalry behind him are ready to attack. The momentum is so spectacular.

In a large mansion in Changli, Zhang Ning was sitting with many people standing beside him, including Gongsun Du, Zhou Cang, Guan Hai and others.

"Meet the Saint!"

On July 7, the Yellow Turban Army broke through Changli and occupied the entire Liaodong vassal state. 1 tribes of Wuhuan and Huhuan surrendered, and the surrounding Xianbei, Fuyu, and Haoqi all looked sideways.

"Xianbei punished Ai and later did not dare to return to the fortress. He moved to Zhuo Ling."

The Eastern Han Dynasty court gave Wuhuan territory and formed an alliance with it, treating it as an important force to contain Xianbei. The strategy of using barbarians to rule barbarians was a good one.

The last person has a gray beard, looks slightly frail, and coughs from time to time. This person is Tsunegong Kōtei, the clan leader of the Tsunegō Kōgen tribe.

However, the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou gave Gongsun Zan an opportunity to take control of Youzhou.

"Well, let them in."

The Baiyan Tuoren Tribe, the Liaoyuan Purging Tribe, and the Changgong Kōyuan Tribe were all major tribes in Wuhuanzhong. The three people from the Liaoyuan Purging Tribe entered the room and when they saw Zhang Ning, they put a hand on their chest and bent down to salute. This was a sign of surrender. Performance.

What do you think of the Han army: "Wearing a few pieces of broken armor on their bodies, carrying spears and swords and rushing forward to wash the vegetables, they usually fall down one by one."

Zhang Ning remained silent and did not answer.

The strategic location of the Liaodong region, where the Liaodong vassal state is located, is very important and is the core area of ​​contention between all parties. If the Central Plains regime wants to conquer the peninsula forces, it must first control Liaodong County. And the tribes from the Northeastern Daxingan Mountains want to go south to the Central Plains, and Liaodong County is the first to block the front line. .

At that time, Gongsun Zan served as the governor of Liaodong and was the highest administrator in charge of the Wuhuan people.

In fact, the alien race: "The array is scattered. If the enemy is several times larger, they will attack from all sides. If they encounter any disadvantage, they will disperse in a rush, regardless of the life of the teammate leader."

The three of you looked at me, and I looked at you. I didn’t know what to say for a moment, so I could only nod helplessly, “Yes!”

In fact, they are aliens: "They are disheveled, skinny, with tattered clothes and unkempt hair. They are strong enough to be bandits, but weak and humble, and have no regard for kindness."

Zhang Ning smiled, "Have you ever worked under Gongsun Zan?"

What you think of as a foreign race: "Armed with scimitars, they marched into the wall, rode like English longbowmen on horseback, and shot out bursts of arrows that filled the sky.

On June 192, 6 AD, Zhang Ning raised his troops and captured Qingyuan, Xinbinjing, Tonghua, Linjiang, Ji'an, Changbai, and Fusong counties in just one month.

Unfortunately, he was defeated in the battle of Jieqiao, and most of the white horse Yi Cong also lost.

In fact, the Han people: "One Han is like five barbarians. The tall and powerful Han people brought a huge psychological impact to the ordinary Huns who were short in stature and short in lower limbs."

"Holy Maiden, the chiefs of the Wuhuan Baiyan Tuoren Tribe, the Liaoyuan Purging Tribe, and the Changgong Kōyuan Tribe are here."

He established the White Horse Yi Cong. "Zan often and dozens of people who were good at archery would ride on white horses as their left and right wings. They called themselves White Horse Yi Cong.

In 184, Bian Zhang and Han Sui rebelled. The imperial court knew that there was a fierce man named Gongsun Zan in Liaodong, so it recruited three thousand elite cavalry from Youzhou and gave them all to Gongsun Zan's command.

Gongsun Zan led 3,000 Youzhou Cavalry to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion. The two strongest armies of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Youzhou Cavalry, were about to merge with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.

Seeing that a great showdown of the century was about to break out, unexpectedly when the army marched to Yannan, Yuyang was powerful. Former Zhongshan Prime Minister Zhang Chun and former Taishan Prefect Zhang Ju formed an alliance with the then Wuhuan leader Qiu Liju and launched a rebellion.

The rebels were so powerful that they killed Wuhuan Colonel Jichou, Youbeiping Prefect Liu Zheng, Liaodong Prefect Yang Zhong, etc., attacked and plundered the counties of Youzhou, and extended the war to Liaodong and Jizhou. Their vanguard even reached the city of Ji County.

You must know that Jicheng was the center of Youzhou at that time, the capital of Yan State at that time, and later the capital of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

If Jicheng was captured in a short period of time, there would be chaos in Youzhou. If Youzhou is in chaos, it will be terrible.

The Youzhou Rebellion is very similar to the Three Rebellions of Liangzhou. It is also the alliance between the local Han powerful and the Hu people.

It has to be said that the Eastern Han Dynasty continuously withstood the Yellow Turban Rebellion, border rebellions, and foreign invasions without being destroyed. It was indeed at the top of the ancient dynasty's combat power rankings.

There was civil strife in Youzhou, and Gongsun Zan, who was supposed to go to Liangzhou, could only stay to quell the rebellion. The two sides fought a decisive battle at Shimen, a vassal state in Liaodong.

Gongsun Zan's strategy was very good as he was able to transfer Zhang Chun and others out of their lair and engage in a decisive battle at his own base camp.

As for the outcome of the battle, Zhang Chun and others were defeated and fled into Xianbei territory. Gongsun Zan continued to pursue Wuhuan, but because he went too deep, he was besieged by Qiu Liju in Guanzi City in western Liaoning. The two sides held a stalemate for more than 200 days.

Although Gongsun Zan ran out of food and was defeated, he still persisted. As a result, the Wuhuan people who surrounded him could not withstand it at first. After running out of food and being exhausted, they fled to Liucheng.

This battle made the entire Wuhuan aware of Gongsun Zan's fighting prowess, and they no longer dared to invade again.

"The prisoners knew the sound of Zan and were afraid of their bravery. No one dared to resist the invaders. Wu Huan even told him to avoid the white horse for a long time."

At that time, the imperial court was making every effort to exterminate the Yellow Turban Army and did not want to invest more power in Youzhou, so it sent Liu Yu, the former governor of Youzhou and Zongzheng, as the shepherd of Youzhou.

When Liu Yu served as the governor of Youzhou, the people and barbarians felt that he was virtuous. People from Xianbei, Wuhuan, Fuyu, and Huiqi all paid tribute at any time. No one dared to disturb the border, and the people were happy about it.

When Qiu Liju and other Wuhuan leaders heard that Liu Yu had arrived, they sent envoys to communicate about their surrender.

Liu Yu also sent envoys to the nomads to inform them of their interests and ordered them to present Zhang Chun's head.

……

It can be said that Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan have two completely different strategies. This is also one of their important contradictions. Gongsun Zan didn't understand very much. He had only one principle for Xianbei and Wuhuan, until they were defeated. He was very unhappy when he tried his best to crusade, but was ended by Liu Yu's appeasement.

Even in order to stop Liu Yu's recruiting policy, Gongsun Zan went around robbing and killing the envoys of various tribes who were negotiating peace with the state pastors, so that these envoys could only find ways to detour to Liu Yu's place.

Blind killing is not enough. Liu Yu is indeed clever in handling Hu people's affairs. He has promulgated several policies one after another.

1. Streamline the troops and extend favors widely.

2. Treat them differently, treat the Wuhuan people leniently, and severely deal with the rebellious Han nobles.

3. Pursue lenient government and persuade people to farm
4. Open the Shanggu market and conduct transactions with Xianbei and Wuhuan.

Xianbei and Wuhuan raided the border just to plunder supplies. Now that Gongsun Zan is in charge, the cost of plundering has skyrocketed.
It is better to trade with the Han people. Although the profit may not be higher than robbery, it is safe, stable and sustainable.

This is the real secret why Liu Yu can appease the foreign tribes for a long time.

In 189 AD, not long after Liu Yu took office, the Youzhou rebellion was quickly quelled with the combined effect of military and gentle means.

Liu Yu was awarded the post of Taiwei for his contribution to pacifying the nomadic people. Soon, he was moved to the rank of Grand Sima. Gongsun Zan was made General Fenwu and was granted the title of Jihou.

Being able to turn the situation around so quickly is thanks to Gongsun Zan's efforts on the battlefield. Liu Yu reported to the imperial court to withdraw the garrison, leaving only Gongsun Zan commanding more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry stationed in Youbeiping.

If the two can cooperate well, Youzhou will become the strongest force in the late Han Dynasty, and Gongsun Zan will even turn around and attack Zhang Ning, who has just gained a foothold in Liaodong County.

It's a pity that the ways are different and they don't work together.

Although Gongsun Zan was nominally under the control of Liu Yu, from the time he intercepted the envoys, Gongsun Zan had become so slim that he could not lose his tail.

As the prefectural pastor, Liu Yu was based in Ji County, Guangyang County, while Gongsun Zan led his troops to be stationed in Youbeiping County at the southern foot of Yanshan Mountain. When the conflict between the two became increasingly acute,
Immediately, a letter from Jizhou turned Gongsun Zan's attention to the south, and he began to capture Jizhou, Qingzhou, and even Yanzhou.

"If Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu cooperate, how can we attack the Liaodong vassal state and occupy the three counties of Liaodong.

Liu Yu was born in the royal family of the Han Dynasty. He was brave and resourceful, and could serve as the shepherd of Youzhou, assume actual military and political power, and sit at the northeastern gateway of the Han Dynasty.

Gongsun Zan was good at military service, and his cavalry were good at rushing into formations. Together with the infantry and other cavalry, Gongsun Zan's army reached more than 40,000, and its combat effectiveness was extremely strong. It was suitable for garrisoning the Liaodong vassal state and protecting the outpost position in Youzhou.

The two combined, one civilly and one military. Liu Yu sent envoys to contact the pro-Han Xianbei and Xiongnu tribes to divide and disintegrate the pressure of the border barbarians. Gongsun Zan organized the Youzhou Assault Cavalry and used mobility to attack the disobedient barbarian tribes.

After obtaining the entire territory of Youzhou, who can resist when moving south?
Unfortunately, the ideal is beautiful, but the reality is much more complicated. Both of them have ambitions, and when they are each king, even if they form a temporary alliance, there will naturally be intrigues..."

Zhang Ning sighed with emotion, and then looked at the three people from Liaoyuan Purging Party.

"Next month, I will attack Western Liaoning. Is it feasible for you to send 10,000 elite troops?"

"Here, ten thousand is indeed too much."

"Holy Girl, our warriors are only 4, and including the subordinate tribes, the number is only 6 at most."

Zhang Ning's face turned cold, "So, if you calculate this, wouldn't you three tribes be able to gather close to 2 elite soldiers? I can't do it with only ?"

"It's impossible for all the men to come out. At least half must stay for hunting, farming, and fishing. Otherwise, both young and old in the clan will starve to death. The most important thing is to guard against Xianbei."

"Yes, if Qiu Liju, the leader of Wuhuan, had not rebelled against the imperial court, we would have been able to recruit 30,000 elites, but that is no longer possible now."

Seeing the three people resisting, Zhang Ning said, "8, no more, or the clan will be exterminated."

At this time, the three of them were silent and stopped talking. They could only nod in agreement. They were afraid of being beaten by the Han people. Gongsun Zan beat them, and Liu Yu finally made peace with them. They had only been comfortable for a few years, but who knew that the Yellow Turbans from Liaodong were coming.

If you don't lead such a bully, it's just like Kunlun God, the Han people are too scary, I want to go back to the grassland! ,
In fact, looking at the period from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms, there seems to be no invasion of northern nomads.

If you answer according to the standard answers on the Internet, those foreigners in the late Eastern Han Dynasty are all copies of experience among various warlords, and any separatist force can defeat them.

Then there was another wave of Han general 666 in this comment area, as if any general picked out at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty could easily crush these foreign opponents such as the Xiongnu and Xiqiang, which had given the Han Dynasty headaches for hundreds of years.

This seems right at first glance. At least Dong Zhuo, Gongsun Zan, and Cao Cao made them scream when they beat foreigners.

However, a detailed analysis shows that the situation between the imperial court and foreigners in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was quite complicated and not as simple as later generations imagined.

From 158 AD to 216 AD, during this period, many territories of Bingzhou and Youzhou among the thirteen states of the Han Dynasty were occupied by foreigners.

In 213 AD, Dingxiang, Yanmen, and Pingcheng were still in Cao Cao's hands, but three years later, these places were occupied by the Southern Xiongnu and Xianbei people.

If you say that there were no foreign invasions during the Three Kingdoms period, it is completely nonsense.

There is this sentence in "Jin Shu Geography", "In the first year of Wei Huangchu, Bingzhou was restored and abandoned from the north of Xingling. It was not changed until Jin Dynasty. Bingzhou had six counties, forty-five counties, and five households. Nineteen thousand two hundred.”

The first year of Wei Huangchu mentioned in the book is 220 AD, which is the year when Cao Pi became emperor.

When Cao Pi restored the state of Bingzhou at that time, the Xingling Mausoleum mentioned in the book was Gouzhu Mountain, also called Yanmen Mountain. The north of Daxing Mountain was later called Yanbei, and the area north of this place as the dividing line was occupied by Cao Wei. abandoned by the imperial court.

This situation did not change until the Western Jin Dynasty.

So why did the powerful Cao Wei Group lose so much territory?
In fact, as early as the period of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, the Qiang and other foreign tribes posed a considerable threat to the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Qiang's power had already penetrated deep into the fortress.

At this time, the borders of the Han Dynasty no longer had criss-crossing terrain for defense like in the pre-Qin period. The border terrain of the Han Dynasty at this time was relatively flat.

It is too easy for the Qiang cavalry to harass the Han Dynasty. Bingzhou and Liangzhou have always been within the scope of human harassment.

Yunzhong County and Wuyuan County, including Bingzhou, had been gradually occupied by the Hu people, so the court at that time was divided into two factions. One was the main war faction headed by Duan Jiong, and the other was headed by Zhang Huan. of the pacifiers.

Duan Yan felt that these barbarians were so close to the hinterland of the Central Plains Dynasty that they were a great threat and we must eradicate them.

As for Zhang Huan, he felt that there was no way to eradicate the Hu people in these places. It was better for the court to try its best to appease these Hu people and make them obedient and not make trouble. That would be the end of it.

At the beginning, the court adopted Duan Jiong's idea and asked him to free his hands and feet to fight these Qiang people.

Duan Jiong was also very good at fighting, winning consecutive battles and defeating foreign races. He was later recognized as the God of War in the Song Dynasty, just like the one from the Martial Temple.

Duan Jiong's results were very impressive, including 180 large and small battles, more than 38600 enemy heads, and more than 42 cattle, horses and livestock seized. He only lost more than 400 people and consumed 44 billion military expenditures.

It seems that there is no war that he cannot win, but the problem also emerged at this time. As soon as Duan Jiong left, the barbarians behind him revived here.

Just like a wild fire that cannot be burned out and springs back to life again, the Hu tribe has already taken root and sprouted here, and it is impossible to completely eradicate it.

By the time of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, the five counties of Dingxiang, Yunzhong, Wuyuan, Shuofang, and Shangjun were gradually separated from the control of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Before the Battle of Guandu, the Southern Xiongnu had occupied many counties in the Yellow River Basin. The entire Bingzhou, except for Shangdang County and part of Xihe County, was still controlled by Yuan Shao.

Most of the remaining counties in Bingzhou were occupied by the Xiongnu and Wuhuan, including a large part of Youzhou, which was later occupied by these Hu people.

Later, Cao Cao redefined the nine states, and the remaining Bingzhou and Youzhou were merged into Jizhou, becoming the largest state in the world.

Later, when Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, the area north of the Qinling Mountains was basically abandoned by Cao Wei.

Therefore, during the period from the end of the Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms, it was not that there were no invasions by nomads from the north, but that the scale of their invasions was relatively small and their strategic goals were different.

They only gradually encroached on part of the territory of the Han Dynasty on the original basis, and did not move south on a large scale like the Jurchen Mongols.

The strategies adopted by the Cao Wei court towards these Hu people were basically divided into two types, one was to divide and transform them, and the other was to suppress and appease at the same time.

In 216 AD, Cao Cao detained the last Shanyu of the Southern Xiongnu and divided the Southern Xiongnu into five tribes, leaving them without the power to pose a threat to Cao Wei's court.

At that time, Cao Cao learned from the combined experience of Duan Jiong and Zhang Huan during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is not enough to fight against the barbarians alone, nor is it possible to fight against them.

Because in this place, the barbarians from various tribes are already interlocking with each other, so you can't beat them all, and you can't just touch them. Your fists are not as big as others, and they will not obey you.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with the Cao Wei Group behind them adopting this strategy of attacking and supporting at the same time.

But at this time, the Xianbei people took advantage of the opportunity to occupy the old land of the Southern Xiongnu, and further entered Monan, taking the place of the Southern Xiongnu and approaching the Central Plains.

The southward migration of the Xiongnu and Xianbei people also paved the way for future troubled times.

The reason why there will be chaos in China in the future is that no one is willing to write it down in the history books. The two-legged sheep is so dark that it is impossible to look straight at it!
Partly because the Three Kingdoms exhausted their heroic spirit and spent too much energy, and partly because the Sima family's Eight Kings Rebellion completely destroyed the Central Plains court.

(End of this chapter)